Queen Bee
by Darkford
Summary: Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I might have worked on this since I discovered the series. Maybee. *whines defensively in corner* I'm not going to update until I finish my other stories, but this will be here, because I don't want to lose the idea.
1. Chapter 1

Bumble.

That was her nickname.

It wasn't that she had any particular emotions around it; sure, it wasn't a kind nickname, but anyone who picked it up from the others used it kindly, to describe her as she was - a girl bumbling her way idly through life, not really caring what happened to anyone. There were those who used it as an insult and those who used it to express their friendship, and for that reason, she refused to let her emotions bubble up over it.

Well, nearly.

Her real name was Abella, Abella Dubois. She loved every part of her name, though there was _one itty bitty thing._

"Yo, munchkin!" He called, waving her over from outside the school gates. "Haven't seen you in a bit..." he drifted off, the silence almost a necessary ordeal for them by that point. Silence was something that happened - until there was no one to hear them.

Also, Abella _really_ didn't want to admit how much she liked that nickname. She was also _very_ glad that Jean Martin was the only person using it. It would have been - oh, to heck with it all. It was awkward anyway, but at least it was an awkward in the right direction.

"Yeah," she answered, barely above the level audible. It was only moments later that they were off to their separate houses.

Her heart may have fluttered whenever she saw him, but she wasn't about to let it show. For their friendship to remain as it was, she had to.

* * *

Abella opened the door and felt a familiar presence that told her only her father was home.

"Hey," he muttered as she walked in, going swiftly back to his game while also managing to draw forth a reserved smile. She made a sound in reply and walked off to her room.

Safely inside, she locked the door slowly so as not to be heard and sat down.

Her room was a plain light pink. She HATED pink, but she couldn't bring herself to complain. She just wasn't that kind of person. Closing her eyes, she went to her mental home, and her brain began to go faster.

Most people thought in straight lines. Abella thought in complicated patterns that twisted and turned, so her thoughts could only really thrive as short bursts. It was incredibly difficult to focus, and so she overshot. Who would guess she had ADD, when she was always so incredibly focused on things? Her fixations were not idle, her mind always wizzing with a pleasant hum, and that was something she valued about herself. She had her way of handling her mind, and so it worked for her.

She consulted the inner council.

In her overactive mind, a group formed. Hundreds of little bursts of energy went into building herself a room with which to work, and from outside that room came the different parts of her, all her but at the same time distinctly different.

She, of course, the main her, the one she always used around others, took place at the head of a table. The others followed suit, each expressing themselves and their personalities.

The one that couldn't focus.

The one that ran around in circles and hopped about.

The one that sang a lot.

The one that felt guilt, constantly.

The one that liked to daydream, of anything that seemed more interesting than the here and now.

The one that expressed a darker side of her, one that hugged itself often and she tried desperately to keep happy, or even keep her from existing occasionally, simply because she never wanted to allow herself to acknowledge how she felt about some people.

There was even the one that was violent, enjoyed explosions and leaping about like the local superheroes. But order was brought suddenly, by a mental instruction, and they organized themselves neatly, if her brain could ever be considered 'neat'.

"So, when to start the project?" The main one asked.

Buzzing of ideas flew around quickly.

"Wait, but make sure to do some today," they decided, nearly as fast. They dragged one of the flashes of energy aside and assigned it the task of remembering.

It never worked, though, and so the main one asked, "Should we assign a few more?"

There was general shrugging and the idea was dropped.

Abella left her mental council.

She glanced out at the pouring rain and sighed happily, before getting up and grabbing her umbrella. She loved the rain, the constant patter on the ground and the unity of the sound, so constant and yet much like her own mind - many thoughts all hitting the surface in short bursts that tried desperately to form a sound that people could hear. Sometimes, when she was younger, she heard voices in the rain; not any more, but that was what Abella would like to experience again. And so, every rainfall was treasured.

"I'm going outside," she told her father, as she walked by. He seemed a little surprised at first, but he shrugged it off and soon she was off in the streets of Paris.

She loved her home. It wasn't perfect, but it was a fun place to live, and she enjoyed her life there. It wasn't the city life or the attractions or even the culture that drew her in.

No, it was the superheroes.

Like Ladybug, and-

"Chat Noir!"

A distinctly confident and feminine voice called, the swishing movement of something flashing through the air causing her to turn her head. Abella tilted her head to watch before realizing that Chat Noir and Ladybug were nearby. No, more than that, they were headed straight for her, and being chased by a man that looked particularly unsavoury. His outfit was lined with blue drops, and his head was wrapped up in something that looked like a poncho-scarf mix.

"No one will get the sunshine they want! They'll all be depressed and unhappy!" He cackled, dashing after them as he tried to summon enough strange clouds to chase them down.

She barely even realized when she started running, seeing them all stop near her school, and hid in a particularly sneaky spot beneath a maple and between it and a solid stone wall. She watched fearfully as the three greats fought, until finally Chat Noir was caught.

A cage was formed around them from brainwashed - forgive the pun - civilians, little rainclouds hovering over their heads. As Ladybug was grabbed by the yoyo and tossed in with Chat Noir, she gasped silently and prayed that Ladybug's luck wouldn't run out.

"No, Chat Noir," she heard her say reluctantly. "As much as we need to get out of here, we can't afford to injure civilians." He made grumbling comments but decided to focus them on their trapper.

As he boasted on about his hardships, she felt a light tap near her shoe and glanced down. Near her feet were two things; a box, and a note.

The box was incredibly ornate, and was hexagonal in shape. She lifted it gently before reading the note.

 _Give this to Ladybug and Chat Noir!_

Well, she wasn't one to disobey, and it seemed amicable enough. She got up and looked at the scene, wondering how she'd get there.

She didn't have to wonder long.

"Well, well, well," He hissed, making her recoil as it seethed in her ears. "Look what the chat dragged in. Seems like this little lady is out of luck. Feeling depressed, girlie?"

She glared bullets at him, Ladybug echoing her thoughts by leaning over near Chat Noir and commenting, "Drizzler's nearly as bad as you."

Just then, the man - Drizzler - pointed at her, and something clicked in her internal council.

They all came together to see, and what bothered her was that her quiet, darker side took longer to show. But when she did, she knew why.

The thing was, any emotion other than kindness and anger were things only certain parts of her felt, her darker side being the most commonly affected. Put simply, it was like punching her crippled baby sibling and then handing her a five-star top-of-the-line bazooka.

She glared. Intensely.

Drizzler, strangely, found himself taking a step back. In the background, she briefly heard Chat Noir wonder why it didn't work.

"Don't... hurt me..." she muttered, still glaring.

"Then here's a proposition for you," He said, clearly shaken by the ineffective nature of his attack but nonetheless taking the reigns. Others, affected by the depressing nature of his powers, followed his orders to surround her. "Give me that box, and I'll forgive you for your insolence. How does that sound?"

Abella tilted her head, a good sign that she was paying close attention. And thinking. Hard.

She noticed, from her position, that Ladybug and Chat Noir were escaping the human prison. She breathed deeply and stared back up at the Drizzler.

"No," she said simply.

He frowned.

"So be it," he shrugged, lifting a hand. Then Ladybug leaped at him and knocked him over, before beckoning Chat Noir over.

Drizzler got back up, floated a few inches off the ground, and further until out of grip.

"Be careful," Ladybug advised her, causing her to pay deep attention to that instead. "I don't want you getting hurt."

Abella finished her train of thought, closed her eyes, and said, "I'm sorry."

Turning back to the Drizzler, she realized that he was bodily very weak. Sure, he could jump around like Ladybug and Chat Noir, but he wasn't muscular. She cracked her knuckles and ran at him, leaping at the last moment. Him being a supervillain, she didn't really feel bad enough to hold back, and so he was soon on the ground from the knockback of receiving one of her toss-punches, the likes of which the thought she couldn't do any more.

She was on her toes, but made it clear as he got up that he had no power against her. For a brief moment fear flickered on his face, before he frowned and backed away slowly.

"My Lady, where's his akuma?!" Chat Noir inquired. "That girl just blasted him halfway down the street!"

Abella looked more closely. Dashing forward, she grabbed him by the ankle and elbowed into him, knocking him down. She put a foot on his back and made sure to stand well away from his limbs, before looking around for something.

In the videos on the Ladyblog, there was always something that Ladybug broke to find the akuma. If she could break it, then Ladybug could get the akuma, since it seemed she was the only one who remained unaffected by his attacks.

She finally focused on his hood on the back of his head. Sure, it was fused with his costume, but it wasn't like something like this hadn't happened before. Maybe the akuma had _only_ infected the hood. So, being the idiot she was, she ripped it to shreds.

A few moments later, a black butterfly fluttered out, which was quickly snatched away into Ladybug's signature weapon - her yoyo. Even as Abella turned she saw a little white butterfly flutter away.

"Thank you, miss," she said calmly. "We couldn't have done it without you, miss...?"

"Abella," She allowed, smiling back. "I'm glad to have helped. Ladybug. Chat Noir."

"How did you resist the raincloud?" He asked even as the evil droplets washed off of the bodies of civilians.

"My emotions are separate from my control over myself." Abella decided on. "I'd best get home, Dad'll be worried.

She ran off, barely believing that Chat Noir and Ladybug had spoken to him at all.

* * *

"I'm home," she said into the house, not that it ever made a difference. It hurt to try and make sense of why she said it - it wasn't like anyone would answer her. But it helped.

The blare of video games ran as usual, and she went to her room with haste. While she normally would be more relaxed-

Even before the door creaked open, Abella turned around and watched as an elderly man walked in. His walking stick fell at just that moment, and she grabbed him in one arm to support him while grabbing his stick with the other. She handed it to him and asked, "Are you okay?"

"My back..." he mumbled incoherently, and she was briefly afraid before shaking it off and putting him into a seat in the room they referred to as the sunning room. She went and got a glass of water before placing it before him.

"Yes," he muttered. "it's perfect."

"Sir?" Abella tried, hoping she sounded polite enough. "I'm sorry, who are you? Will you be alright?"

"My name is Master Fu," he allowed, smiling up at her. "How would you like to be a superhero?"

The blatant nature of the question was a bit surprising. "Like Ladybug and Chat Noir?"

"You catch on fast," he complimented her. "Yes, like them. Do you know how they get their powers?"

She shook her head, dumbfounded.

"Kwami," he said breathlessly. And, a moment later, a small green sprite rose from within his shirt and touched her shoulder.

She stared for a few moments, barely daring to breathe, before sighing. "Hello," she said, for a lack of anything else to say.

He - for it was a decidedly masculine voice that answered - replied, "Hello!"

"They are Kwami," Master Fu explained. "And, if you wish, you may have one - if you promise to aide me."

"I would help anyway, if it was a good reason," Abella replied honestly. "Please tell me about it."

"You're aware of the supervillains that often frequent Paris?" He asked.

"Yes."

"I want you to use the power I give to fight them."

Abella blinked in surprise. "You really think I'm good enough?"

"It's not who I see," he told her, "but who is inside."

"Nice words," Abella complimented, "but they won't change the fact that I can't run or jump or do any of the cool things Ladybug and Chat Noir can."

"Yes, but they have their Kwami," Master Fu told her, winking. "Where did you think the box came from? Go on, open it." He seemed to take it from nowhere, and soon the box - which she quickly realized had been swiped from her pocket - was again in her hands.

With a gulp, she opened it slowly, and lifted out a brooch. A Bee-shaped brooch. With a gentle glow it floated, and she let the idea sink in.

She would have been surprised, but then again, they got supervillains often enough that it wasn't that much more crazy than everyday life.

Before her was a sprite like the green one that hovered next to Master Fu. It was yellow in colour, little translucent wings flapping rapidly as bright blue eyes opened up to look at her. There was an instant fondness between them, and she almost instinctively lifted her hands, allowing the sprite to sit in her hand.

"Hello," she - if that counted for Kwami - said, head tilting in an adorable manner. "my name is Byssi."

"Hello, Byssi," Abella repeated, deciding she liked this Kwami very much. "My name is Abella."

Master Fu coughed to get their attention. "You accept?"

"Yes," Abella said, not really thinking. "I'll do my best."

* * *

Master Fu had run through this with her, but she was still nervous. Where would she put a place for her little friend to stay? He'd already left, leaving the brooch in her hands, and a few minutes of staring at her room later, she closed her eyes and went back to her mental council.

As the regulars assembled, she suddenly realized that Byssi - her Kwami, she thought with a slight amount of thrill - was there too.

"Sorry, did I intrude?" she asked calmly.

"No," the leader told her, letting her in. "But tread carefully."

She walked in, and the little pulses built a new chair for her, which she sat down at comfortably.

"Welcome to my mental council," Abella greeted her. "We were about to discuss where you were to sleep, and how we would keep you a secret, as Master Fu requested."

"I get a room?" she asked, eyes glowing. "Hooray!" regaining composure, she inquired, "It's very interesting how you have this internal council. Maybe it's why you were chosen. Do you think of yourself as more than one person?"

"Sometimes," she admitted, "but really, we are all me. Just... different ones, all having their own ways of expressing who they are. I need them all to really function." She smirked. "Just like a beehive."

There was a quiet giggle from all the different Abellas, and indeed even Byssi, before they fell to discussing her room. It was finally decided that Byssi would sleep in her jewelry box, which was quickly cleared and organised like a bed, not that the box was any bigger than a bed to Byssi, but it didn't make a difference.

Abella returned to the land of the living and felt a little hand on her forehead. Byssi hopped into her bed and sighed happily before they looked out the window to the sound of rain.

"What is it like?" Abella asked. "Transforming, I mean. It was explained, but-"

"Want to try?" Byssi suggested. "I can handle most of it without breaking a sweat."

"Okay then," she agreed. "What do I have to do?"

"Well, nothing, really," Byssi admitted, "but I've heard Chat Noir and Ladybug have things they say... 'Spots on' and 'Claws out', I think."

"Hmmm..." Abella considered. "I'm not actually sure. Stingers bared?"

"The transformation doesn't have stingers," Byssi told her.

"Um... Buzz...Buzz..." She shrugged. "Augh, I got nothing."

"Maybe we should just see the transformation," Byssi suggested.

"Wait, I got it," She decided. "Buzz above!"

"Sure, why not?" Byssi said. "I was thinking more 'wings to the sky,' but yours is better."

"Yeah, I can agree with that," Abella smiled. "Let's give it a go... Byssi, Buzz above!"

There was a distinctly yellow glow as Byssi was absorbed into her brooch. She felt her eyes being masked by a soft, sticky material which layered over her eyes, and her arms stretched out automatically as yellow material ran over her body, a cloak stretching from her back - or at least, she thought it was, until the translucent material solidified and she felt it adjust to her movements like a part of her body. Her ankles had a fluffy material that she found rather soft as she stretched into the transformation. She let her hands be covered by equally interesting gloves. They seemed sticky, yet easy on her fingers, and soon the transformation was complete.

"I have wings?" she asked eagerly, letting the translucent material flutter.

"Yes," Byssi told her from within her transformation. "You also have a special ability, but don't use it; I'll just describe it. It's... something that brings order, called Hive Call. It allows you to communicate perfectly with your allies and see where people might go wrong - y'know, so you can tell them and avoid mistakes."

"Sounds... interesting," Abella admitted. "It isn't directly an attack, like Cataclysm, and it doesn't bring anything physical, like Lucky Charm... but I think I like the idea of bringing order."

"You have a mirror, right?" Byssi asked, changing the subject. "Go see what you look like. I'm eager to as well, every Queen Bee is different."

"So this is called 'Queen Bee'? Abella asked, looking at herself. Her base costume was yellow with black stripes, and her cloak-like wings were translucent, like a veil of snow, she thought. The furry bits on her legs were barely noticeable, but fitted well, their tint just slightly browner than the yellow of the costume, which was the colour of golden honey. Her head had a little crown that sat at the base of her ponytail, her hair turned the deep golden brown of the strongest honey, different from her regular dark brown that she had.

Just then, there was a whirr of sirens, and Abella looked out the window out into the street carefully, to see a strange man running very quickly from the police cars. She knew it was a supervillain when she saw Ladybug and Chat Noir join in the pursuit.

"What do you say, Byssi?" Abella asked, though at the time she wouldn't realize she'd spoken in her head.

"Let's get him," she agreed, a new eagerness in her voice. "Let's make our entrance a good one."

* * *

Abella wasn't scared. She figured she would at least feel a bit worried, but the coping mechanism she'd developed so that she never felt alone, this mental council - she'd become hypersensitive to it. Every little worker she could feel in her, buzzing away in the background like a comforting blanket of voices urging her on.

Almost, she thought with a smirk, like a beehive.

Her wings burst to life and spread, before moving so quickly that they were merely a blur. She felt the incredible force, how the wind seemed to strengthen each wing-beat to lift her upwards. She directed herself over and above the runner, but slowed when she heard the gasps from dual superheroes.

"Shall we introduce ourselves?" Abella asked Byssi.

"Why not? You'll be working together, after all." Byssi decided. "Slow down and a bit to the left."

She lowered slowly, still keeping pace with Ladybug and Chat Noir, until she was hovering over them.

"We're reaching a bridge, I can't swing from that," Ladybug confided. "And who's the bee?"

"I don't know, but I think we'll find out," Chat Noir told her, pointing. Abella landed on the roof and ran alongside them, easily keeping pace with her wings shaping the wind around her.

"Hello, need some help?" she asked calmly. "I am known as Queen Bee. I can fly. Would you like me to help you over the bridge, Ladybug?"

"We should trust her, Ladybug," Chat Noir told her. "We can use the help, we can't use the street or the police cars will have to halt pursuit."

Ladybug swallowed her pride and grabbed Abella's outstretched hand. With a prodigious leap Abella set her wings going and summoned her newfound strength to follow the akuma at a much faster rate.

"I would ask who you are, but we don't have time," Ladybug admitted. "Right... down there!" She pointed to the base of a building at the other end of the bridge. "If you can, overtake him!"

Abella barely noticed that Ladybug had a wrench in her hand as she found she could go faster. Much faster. And so, she flashed to the other side in nearly an instant and placed Ladybug down on the ground again. She blinked for a moment in surprise before throwing the wrench at a curved display which shook ominously. Abella was body-tackled as it fell, blocking off the bridge and allowing the police to box in the villain.

Abella knew there wasn't much she could do, but as she watched the police began to panic.

"Brilliant opportunity for a Hive Call," Byssi told her. "Wait until later to feel guilty about taking their control. It's for the greater good."

"Right," Abella murmured. Louder, she cried, "Hive Call!" A staff formed in her hand, and she spun it quickly before allowing a spore-like substance to wash over the policemen.

They calmed and assumed a position at the ready, and she called, "Surround him!" They complied, and she continued, "Grab his legs so he can't run!"

The swiftest officers caught him quickly, and she fluttered down to grab him herself, before allowing the control to dissipate. She turned to Ladybug, who jumped in and grabbed the whistle on his neck, snapping it and swinging her yoyo at the resulting akuma. Soon the three of them were watching the little butterfly flutter off into the distance.

"So, who are you?" Ladybug asked, finally comfortable and on solid ground once more.

"Queen Bee," Abella smiled. "A superhero like you, I suppose. I hope I can be of help again sometime."

"Your power that controlled those people, Hive Call," Ladybug inquired. "It seems too similar to some villains I've met."

Abella sighed. "There are two differences, although I agree that in the wrong hands it could go very, very bad. First is intention - I was helping protect. Second is method - I took control with harmless spores, others take control with worse things. Like Drizzler and his depression cloud things."

"You were there for that?" She asked seriously.

"I wasn't a superhero yet," Abella told her calmly. "This will have been my first battle... as a superhero." She smiled. "I like it, I guess."

Just then, a beeping sound went off, and she looked down at her chest, where her wings were held by her brooch. The five stripes had reduced to one blinking one.

"Run for it," Ladybug told her. "No one must know your civilian identity."

"I hope to see you both again," Abella said honestly, before stretching her wings and flying off quickly.

As she ran over the rooftops, she spotted a nice alley and flew down, allowing her transformation to wear off.

"That was fun!" Byssi exclaimed, before yawning. "but now I'm tired..."

"Want to go home and sleep?" Abella asked, opening her backpack pocket and letting her sprite friend inside to rest.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached a park, and Byssi asked to go in. Abella complied, sitting down on a bench, and for a few moments they sat in silence.

"How are you so calm and collected?" Byssi asked. "Most Queen Bees are very panicky at first, even scared of their powers."

"My emotions are separate, except for kindness and anger," Abella said slowly. "So, right now, another part of me's holding those fearful emotions for when they're ready to be let out, somewhere safe where it's okay to be afraid."

"Wow," Byssi awed. "You're really good at self control."

Abella said nothing for a while, but their mental council reformed, and Byssi decided to participate.

Instead, she was taken from her seat and led into a new part of the hive in her charge's mind. Somewhere dark. And there, Abella showed her the dark side of her, the tearful child in the corner.

"Are you okay?" She asked, to everyone in the room.

"We will be," the leader told her, "but even getting her this better has taken time. She's residue from the shock of... well, Mother leaving for a place far away. And realizations about Mother. Mostly things about Mother, but others too - she's the one who takes damage, and it's hard to keep her safe."

"So, all your mental damage goes to her?" Byssi asked, horrified.

"Yes," Abella - the leading personality of Abella - confirmed. "and if she collapses, we all collapse, because she _is_ us. Which is why we treasure her most."

The mental link ended, and Abella got up and went home.

* * *

A/N: Wow. Okay, I'm not updating this for a while, but maybe I'll follow up on it someday. For now, it's a draft.

And I can't Bee-lieve I didn't put any bee puns in this.

Or that I accidentally gave the dude two names. *le facepalm*

Anyways, catch ya later!


	2. Chapter 2

As morning broke, Byssi yawned from her makeshift bed in the jewelry box, floated out lazily and hummed over to where Abella sat. She put down her pencil and held up her hand for her floating friend, who sat on her charge's hand and allowed herself to be transferred to Abella's shoulder.

"Why are you up so early?" Byssi inquired, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Even I'm tired, and I'm a Kwami!"

"I am tired," Abella confirmed, "but I will allow myself to feel tired later. Right now, I am Focus." She paused. "Ahem. I'm focusing."

"You seem a little different," Byssi admitted. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Abella replied quickly. "I'm just letting another personality have the reigns. It changes depending on my situation - I just default to Stoic."

"Huh," Byssi smiled. "You're really unique, you know that?"

Abella paused. "I guess you're right. Ah, geez, I'm not going to get anything done right now. I may as well head for school."

"Wait," Byssi asked suddenly, "School starts at... 4 AM?!"

"Uh, no," Abella replied, grabbing her bags and putting things in it seemingly randomly. "I guess I just had nowhere else to go."

Byssi gave her a look that told her she didn't believe it.

"Byssi, I hate to break it to you, but my normal life is entirely and utterly boring," Abella confirmed. "My mum's heck wherever most of the time, usually out of the country, Dad spends his life in competitive gaming, and I have nothing important to do."

"It's time you made friends then!" Byssi decided eagerly.

"Meh," was Abella's reply. "I guess you have a point... but there's no one at my school worth knowing that I haven't befriended yet."

Byssi gave her a skeptical look.

"Look, jump in my bag and you'll see." Abella told her. "Go on."

They left, rounded a corner, and ran for school.

* * *

Byssi was rather shocked when the Janitor smiled at Abella and let her in without a word at 4:30 in the morning. She was about to ask why when she realized that this must have been a regular occurrence. As they walked through the halls, Abella pointed out people in the pictures, describing their personalities.

"That's Jake, he's kind of interesting," she said. "Really tall. But honestly he already has his own group - I can't bring myself to speak to him whenever he's nearby." she scrunched up her nose. "And anyway, he has zero sense of what it means to give people space."

"I can get behind that," Byssi agreed. "Plagg was always trying to poke my wings or something. Oh, right, he's the Kwami for the Cat miraculous, Chat Noir."

"Tell me about the others," Abella requested. "They sound like real personalities."

"Well, I'm the one that's awake the least," Byssi considered. "Y'see, the Bee miraculous is only activated when at least three other miraculous are active. It's... something about the Bee miraculous's powers, they only work if you're working on a team, because a bee's strength comes from other people. Which is why I'm surprised you don't have many friends to talk to, most bee miraculous are very social."

"I guess I built my own circle," Abella considered. "My mental council, remember?"

"That's true," Byssi accepted. "but anyways... I guess the one who's awake the most often is Chat Noir, but there are others... his counterpart, Ladybug, for one." She giggled. "She's really sweet, which is why she likes cookies!"

Abella giggled, and replied, "Oh, let me tell you about my friend." She pointed to a person's image on the wall. "That's Jean." Byssi briefly wondered why she wasn't saying anything, but she realized what it was when she looked at the expression on Abella's face.

Byssi smiled too, realizing that this was part of how Abella communicated - maybe she simply didn't know how to speak right, maybe it was because of her own council. Many of the times they'd spoken had been within it, after all.

Byssi stretched in midair and landed on Abella's shoulder. "Say," she suggested, "why don't we go on patrol?"

"Patrol?" Abella asked.

"Yeah," Byssi agreed. "I transform you, we head around town a bit, and if anything happens we help out. Simple as that."

"Sounds fun," Abella decided. "I'm in."

* * *

"Wait, please!" Someone called, causing Abella to stop and turn. She was greeted by a girl with thick, reddish-brown hair and glasses, who eagerly held up her phone.

"Hello from Paris, bugheads!" She spoke into her phone. "Today I'm speaking with our newest superhero that I've found on patrol! So, what do you call yourself?"

Abella smiled. "I'm known as Queen Bee."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" she chirped. "Anyways, are you going to be helping Ladybug and Chat Noir with their pledge?"

"Yes." Abella replied, after a brief pause to recall the occasion. "I'm far more recent than them, but I hope to be of help."

"Perfect!" the girl grinned. "Well then, everyone, be sure to give Queen Bee a warm welcome! Alya's now off to school! See you later, bugheads!" Click!

Abella blinked. "Ah, your name is Alya?"

"Yeah, that's me!" She grinned. "Sole reporter of the Ladyblog, at your service!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Abella told her honestly, smiling. Then something ran into her from behind.

She turned around and blinked at the girl that had run into her. There was something... undeniably... familiar about her. She decided to pay close attention, offering her hand.

"Are you alright?" she asked, lifting the girl to her feet.

"Yes, thank you," she said hurriedly.

"Geez, Marinette, you're going to be late again!" Alya joked.

"You too!" Marinette protested, dashing on the spot.

"For a legitimate reason. Well, see you later, Queen Bee!" Alya called.

"We should get going too," Byssi commented, and so they left quickly.

* * *

Byssi was nervous. There was a watching set of eyes on them, following them down the halls. Soon, it began to speak.

"Bumble, get out of my way." it growled. Byssi wondered why - Abella couldn't possibly have been in his way - there were miles of space on either side. Abella kept walking, the comment going right over her head.

"I said, get out of my way, Worm," he hissed. This time Abella tensed, but she kept walking without saying a word.

"Go die in a hole or get out of my way!" He screeched. Abella stopped.

Whispers sprouted, mostly discussing how it was that Abella was so unaware of her situation. Byssi felt worse and worse each time they spoke, until finally Abella turned around.

There were no words needed. She simply stood and stared, watching him with an empty, cold expression.

"I can get you expelled, you know," he threatened. His clothes were fancy, too fancy for Byssi's tastes, and they did nothing to hide the ugliness of his personality. His face may have been pretty enough, but he was repulsive to Byssi already.

Abella began to speak. "I don't understand why. Please, explain."

"There's nothing to explain," he said haughtily. "If you see me coming, you get out of my way. So, worm, get out."

"There's plenty of space in the hallway," Abella commented, looking around. "What's the point if you can walk around me, like you did for anyone who passed us?"

Byssi could nearly hear his growl as he began. "That's not the point. Get. Out. Of. My. Way." his voice dripped with a smug evil that nearly seeped from his body. "Damn worm, getting in my way. So, Bumble? Are you going to do the smart thing and get out of my way before you become even more of a douche?"

Abella glared.

Byssi could feel the sheer heat that emanated from her. Abella held both hands in fists.

"I..." she began. "will not budge."

There was a poisonous air around the two of them, people giving them a wide berth.

"Go die in a hole," he replied readily.

Abella snapped.

She was right in front of his face in half a second, her hand at his throat, held straight as a bullet. The tense feeling in her body was ignored.

"Rocky, damn you." She said simply. "I've had enough. You're deliberately getting at me for everything I do. What's so hard about taking a few steps to the left or right? I. Am. Not. Your. Victim." She moved back. "Be thankful I'm not the kind of person to punch people for no reason more than they gave them stupid nicknames. Leave me be." She turned around and began to walk away.

That was when she was body-tackled by three people at once.

She held a defensive position and let her leg sprawl out and kick one of them off her. Another grabbed her arm and was swung down to the ground, and the final one she held a defensive position against. He leaped forward and tried to grab her neck, to which she grabbed his waist, and very suddenly bent backwards. This resulted in his head being driven into the floor very, very quickly.

She stretched back up, paused, and walked in a different direction.

"And where are you going?!" Asked a teacher, once she looked outside to see what had happened.

"I'm leaving." Abella told her. "Simple as that."

As she got outside, Byssi asked, "What're you going to do?"

"I'm never going back, Byssi." Abella told her. "I stayed for Jean, but I can't take it anymore. There's no point. I'm going to a new school where things like that don't happen."

* * *

The afternoon was spent walking around town. As school broke out, her knowing this due to the volume of students that surged from seemingly nowhere, she caught eye of a familiar pair.

"Hey, that's Marinette and Alya, right?" Abella asked.

"Yes." Byssi confirmed. "But don't forget, they haven't met your original self yet."

"Right." Abella walked by slowly, listening in.

"Trust me, Adrien will love them!" Alya encouraged. "Just have courage! Go, Marinette!" She pushed her towards a blond boy gently, making Marinette jump.

"I-ah, well, I uh-"

Abella smiled, then blinked slightly, watching Marinette and this 'Adrien' carefully. It soon became clear who they were.

"They aren't really very good at their job, but I guess they aren't looking for it," Abella commented quietly. Turning on Alya, she asked, "Which school do they go to?"

"Oh, that one over there, Francoise Dupont," Alya pointed to the building. "Why?"

"I'm looking for a new school to go to," Abella explained. "I dropped out of the other one. It was... an unlucky situation," Abella said vaguely. "They seem happy."

Adrien was munching on a box of cakes with a black-haired boy and Marinette, the latter of which seemed to barely be breathing.

"You can say that again, I wish they'd just get together already," Alya commented with a smirk. "Say, if you end up in our class, be sure to help me get them together, yeah?"

"Sure. Thank you for helping me." Abella smiled and waved, walking towards the school.

* * *

"You sure are efficient," Byssi said proudly. Abella was already enrolled and was headed for her new school the day after. She was still walking along when she spotted someone on a rooftop.

"Hey, is that Ladybug?" Abella asked, pointing. "Think she needs help?"

"It looks like a patrol to me," Byssi admitted, "but you may as well join her. What else are you going to do?"

"Good thinking," Abella complimented her. "Look, there's an alley over there."

No one heard the quiet 'Buzz above' or saw the flash, so she was able to sneak away unnoticed. With a gentle buzzing of wings she followed Ladybug over the rooftops of Paris.

* * *

Ladybug stopped and turned to see her newest pursuer, and was pleasantly surprised.

"Queen Bee," she breathed, calming down as the Bee-themed hero touched down gently. "what are you doing here?"

"Not much, to be honest," Abella admitted. "I figured it would be interesting to help you on this patrol. More interesting than moping around as a civilian all day, anyway."

Ladybug blinked. "Huh. Okay. That's... interesting, since my ordinary life is usually enough for me."

"I'm sure it is," Abella replied good-naturedly. "Anywhere you want me to patrol? It's my sort-of first time, so I'll follow your lead for now."

Ladybug nodded. "Just stick with me for now. I guess I'll give you a tour of the Paris rooftops." She waved Abella over, and the two of them took a tour of Paris in style.

* * *

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." Ladybug repeated over and over. Abella found it almost cute how panicky she was.

"I'm late!" she cried. "He'll be there before I even have a chance to de-transform, and all the reporters down there..." She jolted as Abella laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, I'll go talk to them," Abella comforted. "There's an alley way over that way, down there, and turn left. From there go straight and you'll reach College Francoise Dupont." She grinned. "I use it as a shortcut often."

"Thank you," Ladybug said gratefully, hopping down from the building into the alley. Abella made sure she was going the right way and hopped down to the press.

"Hello Paris, and today we're doing a report on the new superhero that has appeared in Paris," The newswoman reported. "And here she comes now! Miss, we've been told that you have been aiding Ladybug and Chat Noir recently. Are you the new superhero rumoured to have appeared in Paris?"

She blinked, slightly startled, then nodded more calmly. "Yes, I am. I'm known as Queen Bee."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the newsperson said kindly, before continuing, "have you anything to say to the citizens of Paris?"

"Only that I'm glad to be in such a beautiful place, with such kind people," Abella said carefully, expressing herself gently. "I hope to protect it as well as Ladybug and Chat Noir, although they are far more powerful than I."

"Thank you!" the newslady said gladly. "Is there anything happening now? It seems both you and Ladybug have been spotted travelling the city today."

"A patrol," Abella replied cautiously. "I am not well acquainted with the rooftops of Paris."

"Thank you for your time," She said gratefully, taking the microphone away from Abella's face. Turning back to the camera, she said, "This has been an interview with Paris's newest superhero, Queen Bee. Thank you for listening!"

The cameras moved away, and Abella sighed in relief before chuckling to herself. She decided to stay transformed for the day, after quick confirmation with Byssi, and they were off, continuing the patrol.

* * *

She sat down at her desk and sighed gleefully, stretching out and laying her head on it. It had been a long day of patrolling, but that was better than being bored and full of energy. Byssi fluttered about, exploring a bit, and Abella was happy to watch her fly around. It was quite soothing when you weren't worried about being hurt by what was in the room.

"What's this book?" Byssi asked. "I haven't read this." she pointed to a red book with a simple cover.

"I wrote that," Abella explained cheerfully. "Adventures of Alan. That one I wrote... hm, must have only been a year or so ago."

"You wrote it?!" Byssi inquired, shocked. Flipping through the pages, she asked, "Did you draw the pictures too?"

"No, my friend Jean drew those." She explained dreamily. "I hope I can write faster. And better. So that I can ask for his help again."

Byssi gained an expression that was between smug and the kind of giggly expression girls got when looking at a guy they liked.

"Oh~" she teased. "Someone's got a crush."

"I guess that's one way of putting it," Abella allowed. She sighed happily and looked out the window. "Y'know, sometimes I wonder if I should reveal the fortune I get from those books and just buy a house we could like, live in. Then I realize I'm not married to him and that would be incredibly weird."

"A fortune, huh," Byssi murmured. "So... why don't you buy a house to live in by yourself, or use it for something fun and interesting?"

Abella sighed. "I want to save it for when it's worth it. So far, I've paid for the health needs of about twenty people that I've met, bought a 3D printer for the local library, and paid a designer to design artificial legs and arms for war veterans. I want to keep saving it for things that are worth it, you get where I'm coming from?"

Byssi looked near tears. "Aww, you're so sweet!"

"I'm not," Abella protested. "Don't you start pulling that on me, I've heard it enough. Too many people tell me that, I don't need Kwami doing the same."

Byssi giggled. "But it's true!"

"It's not," Abella said firmly. "Nobody would go through what I do and do differently."

"Yes they would," Byssi said happily. "You're special."

Abella had a noticeable rosy tint on her cheeks, but she refused to speak. Instead she put her hoodie up and pouted.

Byssi just giggled.

* * *

"Okay, fine, I'll wait another... five minutes." Abella decided. "No more."

"Abella!" Byssi scolded. "Geez, you need more sleep than this."

"No I don't," Abella refused. "I can sleep later."

"You better take a 6 hour powernap when we get back," Byssi warned. "Sheesh!"

"Fine, fine," Abella waved it off, then smirked. "Bee that way."

Byssi winced. "Okay, I walked into that one, didn't I? Why are you making puns?"

"What's the problem?" Abella asked innocently. "I hear Chat Noir does it all the time."

"Plagg's influence is really getting on my nerves," Byssi huffed.

Just then, a girl rounded the corner and ran headfirst into her, making her fall over backwards. She winced and got up, taking a good look at the girl as she offered her hand.

Her hair was a deep brown, and her eyes were an olive green. taking her slightly tanned hand, Abella asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to be here so early..."

"It's alright, I'm often early." Abella replied. "My name is Abella, Abella Dubois. Who are you?" She lifted the girl to her feet.

"I'm Lila," she replied breathlessly. "Say, you won't mention anything about this, will you?"

"If you explain what's happening, then it's a promise." Abella told her smartly. "I hope you aren't planning on anything unsavoury, you seem so nice."

Lila sighed. "I'm... looking for material. To get back at Ladybug."

"What did she do?" Abella asked neutrally.

"Ruined my date," She seethed. "I was all set to woo the man of my dreams and she showed up and ruined it all."

"That's unfortunate," Abella sympathized. "Although, if she did, there must have been a reason."

"Well... I used her identity. A bit." she admitted. "As in, I told that guy - Adrien - that I was her friend. I figured it would get his attention, since he had that book on superheroes and seemed so awed by her."

Abella nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, I would have done the same thing. Mind you, then we'd both be at fault for it, so forgive my hypocrisy when I say that you probably shouldn't have lied about it."

Lila considered this with head hung low, considering how to reply, when Abella continued, "But it was also rude. I agree, no-one should be treated badly just for wanting to get closer to someone. Your intentions were innocent."

Lila smiled. And, in that brief moment, Abella knew she had a new friend.

"Anyways," Abella continued, "Why do you think there would be anything on Ladybug here?"

"Because this is where that book was, and where she showed up in practically no time at all," Lila explained. "She must spend a lot of time here, or nearby. Maybe to get closer to Adrien." she hissed slightly.

"Are you in love with him?" Abella inquired, suppressing a smirk. "Why?"

"Well, he's handsome," she began. "and he's really popular... and... uh..."

"He's friendly?" Abella suggested. "Kind?"

"Yeah, he is," she confirmed, pausing.

"And you know this how?" Abella probed.

Lila gained a helpless expression.

"Hey, those were all legit reasons," Abella shrugged. "More than I can come up with for my crush. But maybe you should just focus on being his friend for now."

There was a glow in Lila's eyes that made Abella feel better about the world.

"How is it that you always know what to say?" Lila asked eagerly. "You barely know anything about Adrien, and yet you've convinced me to wait and get to know him better."

"It's simple," Abella shrugged. "Honesty, elegance, and contemplation. I spend way too much time thinking about how things should be... and love problems are my expertise." She smiled. "But it helps to make people feel better about themselves. Sympathy goes a long way with things like this."

As the sun got higher, there was a short silence. Then Lila commented, "I... think... I'll try to hate Ladybug less."

"Why so?" Abella asked calmly.

"Well... as much as she wasn't very nice to me," Lila said, cringing, "she's got a lot to do. He must be important to her... and so is the truth. So she unwillingly caused hate trying to protect the greater good." She shrugged. "Or at least, that's what I think."

"You know what I think?" Abella began.

"No, what?" Lila replied, genuinely interested.

"Well, people like Ladybug and Chat Noir," she thought aloud, "They're normal people too, right? People with families and having to spend a lot of time watching the world change as they jump from family to family, throughout time."

"I guess that's true, but where is that leading?" Lila said curiously.

"I mean that they're probably normal people, like us," Abella explained. "Y'know, maybe Ladybug had a crush on a guy that looks like Adrien, and she was helpless to stop him from being taken by the tides of time. Maybe she's not really the kind of person who _wants_ to be a superhero, but she does it because she has to." Abella shrugged. "This is just me here, but maybe the girl under the mask isn't heroic, just wants to live like others - just a normal girl, with a normal life."

"I never thought of that," Lila admitted.

"She was probably jealous of you," Abella continued. "Wouldn't she be angry or frustrated if someone tried to use the mask to become something, when she had no choice?"

"You've given me a lot to think about." Lila said slowly. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure," Abella agreed. "Sorry for going on about it, I just... well. It gave me a chance to talk about something important. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well," Lila considered, "What about you tell me why you came to this school? I came for Adrien, and because it was more interesting than the others, of course."

"I dropped out of my last school," Abella said without remorse. "Good riddance."

"Why did you?" Lila inquired. "If I'm not being too rude. It's just hard to believe."

"I decided to," Abella confirmed. "It was... not very nice there. I was sent away for self-defence which appeared as violence."

"Ouch," Lila winced. "What did you do to earn that?"

"Not much, just stood up to some uptight jerk," Abella shrugged. "His suck-ups jumped me. Little do they know I practice the art of kick-ass KO techniques." She smirked. "Also known as sweep the floor with the suckers. But I admit that it's a bit more complicated, I just kicked them where it hurt and got them off my back before it got worse."

"I would feel really bad," Lila admitted, "but since you value honesty - ouch. I do not want to get on your bad side."

"Truth right there," Abella agreed. "I hope you never will."

* * *

As they walked into the classroom, Abella walked over to the teacher and asked, "Excuse me, Ma'am. I'm Abella Dubois. Do you know how I can find my classroom?"

"No need," she told her. "in the hallway to the left, fourth door to the right." She paused. "And please forgive the teacher if she gets upset by you - she's... the suspecting type."

"I understand," Abella agreed. "I haven't really made any effort to make myself seem more innocent, have I?"

* * *

The moment Abella walked into the classroom, she felt an undeniable presence. Looking around, she decided it focused on three people. Adrien was the first; the second was the teacher, and the third was unfamiliar.

Said third flipped her ponytail casually and shuffled closer to Adrien. Abella sighed and took a few steps into the classroom, only stopping because of an ominous shadow.

"I've heard of you," she said calmly, though there was steel in her voice. "Miss Dubois, my name is Mrs Bustier. I hope you'll be better than you were in your old school - it's a new start for you."

Abella merely nodded and kept walking, stopping at a set of desks which was only taken up by one person. To him, she asked, "May I sit here?"

"Ah, sure," he agreed, moving over a bit to let her in. She sat down and put her things to one side, carefully making sure to stay on best behaviour in hopes of improving her teacher's views on her.

Just then, two students dashed in at the same time, two that she recognized. Alya slid into her place hurriedly, and Marinette swayed dangerously before sitting down as well. Abella giggled, then paused and watched closely.

"Byssi," she whispered, "That has to be Ladybug in disguise. Clumsy, it's a perfect quirk to throw off suspicion!"

Byssi nodded. "I agree. But don't say anything; it's especially important that Chat Noir and Ladybug keep their identities."

"Alright, I'll keep quiet," Abella agreed. She allowed her hearing to focus as she heard her name whispered near the front row.

"Look at her, some sort of delinquent," the blond girl from before said in a gossipy manner. "You'd think they'd send her back to where she belongs."

"Not another Rocky," Abella grumbled quietly. _Whatever. I'll just have to deal with it._

Byssi expressed her sympathy before diving into Abella's bag for the class.

* * *

As Abella sat down on the ground outside, typing on her laptop, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Alya and Marinette hovering over her.

"Yo, nice to see you again," Alya greeted her. "Which reminds me, we never gave each other our names. I'm Alya, and this is Marinette. You?"

"I'm Abella Dubois," she replied, getting up. "Can I help you?"

"We've got a plan," Alya grinned devilishly, "to get Marinette and Adrien alone together so that she can confess at last and-"

"Alya!" Marinette cried, pouting. "Don't just tell people that!"

"I'm afraid she didn't need to," Abella apologized. "It was already obvious. Let me guess, am I to be a distraction?"

"Yes." Alya grinned. "You catch on fast. Basically, we need to get Marinette's gift to Adrien without anyone interrupting them. We're going to tell Adrien that I left my textbook in the classroom, but that I have to run. Marinette will join him out of the blue, as if I hadn't told her, and then when he's about to leave with it, she'll give him a gift." She pointed to the box in Marinette's hands. "I want you to make sure nobody goes in the classroom. Gotcha?"

"Sure," Abella agreed, regardless of Marinette's protests. She walked away slowly, making her way over, and sending Alya a thumbs up before dashing around the corner.

* * *

As Abella stood outside the classroom, a decent distance away but not too far, she saw them head for the classroom and enter.

"All good so far, Byssi," Abella chuckled. "This is fun."

"Don't look now, but here comes Chloe!" Byssi hissed. Abella's gaze went harsh and she cracked her knuckles expectantly, before walking out calmly and pretending to notice Chloe.

"Oh, no way!" She cried. "I thought it might be earlier, but now I know! You're the mayor's daughter, Chloe Bourgeois!" She smiled in a sickeningly sweet manner. "I'm glad I got the chance to meet you."

"Oh my," She said in mock awe. "Would you look at that. A fan!" She giggled. "Not that anyone isn't, but most people aren't that straightforward."

"Of course," Abella agreed, "but your public appearances in the news made me realize that I could be confident, too. After all, we may have Chat Noir and Ladybug, but you're the only young star worth seeing when it comes to the non-superheroes."

As Chloe went on about how amazing she was, Byssi muttered, "Wow, ego much?"

"Eh, better than purposefully a bully," Abella whispered back. "Hush, I need to keep her talking."

Before Chloe could wrap up, Abella made a small gasp and cried, "Your hair! It's perfect! How do you do it?"

"Well," Chloe began smugly, and she was off again, listing off hair products and genetic luck as her proud upbringing was brought to the surface. Just then, Marinette left the room, Adrien alongside eating a small, fancy cake, which went completely over Chloe's head.

"Oh, drat!" Abella cried. "I have to go. I'd completely forgotten what I came here for!" She opened the door, and Chloe walked in first, ignoring her courtesy as she went in as well.

"You know, you're not so bad," Chloe commented. "From what the teacher was saying I thought you would end up being some sort of delinquent."

"I'm not, not at all," Abella replied, mocking shock. "I hate violence!"

"What got you expelled, then?" She asked casually, barely even noticing her tone. Abella took a second to realize it wasn't meant in a mean way - it was just how she spoke, unaware she was doing it at all.

"An... unfortunately violent classmate did not appreciate that I was nearby." She wiped away a single false tear. "I don't know why he didn't like me, but he tried to hurt me. By the time anyone got there it looked like a fight, and..." she false sobbed, hoping her acting skills would help her push the fact that she was innocent. As much as this Chloe was annoying, she didn't mean anything by it, and had already subconsciously decided to help her.

"Aw, poor thing," Chloe sympathized. "Don't worry. Long as I'm here, I'll make sure that doesn't happen. I'll set Daddy on them if they do!" She put a hand on Abella's shoulder.

"You really mean it?" Abella asked, looking up at Chloe endearingly.

"Of course! I wouldn't be the most popular person in Paris otherwise!" She announced confidently. "I've got to go now. Fencing lessons."

"See you in class!" Abella called after her, earning a wave that emanated her status.

"She's a handful," Byssi commented. "You handled her excellently, but are you sure you want to befriend her?"

"I don't want to, Byssi," Abella admitted, "but I have to. She needs someone."

* * *

Walking home was a bit different, so for once Abella took the main streets. Stretching, she paused when she heard some footsteps stop behind her.

Turning around, she smiled when she saw Marinette squirming nervously.

"Hey!" She grinned. "And how's the lovestruck lady?"

"Gosh, you're worse than Alya," she moaned quietly. "But more seriously, what were you doing? Was I really worth spending that much time with Chloe?"

"Yes," Abella told her instantly. "but I must say... I think Chloe needs someone to educate her on friendship."

"You can say that again," Marinette agreed. "She hates me."

"Probably because she feels like you're distancing her from Adrien, not like he wants her around," Abella pointed out. "You'd do the same thing if she tried anything with Adrien, no?"

Marinette had no answer to that.

"Eh, don't worry too much about it, I'm just infallibly optimistic," Abella shrugged. "I'm going to try and help her turn a new leaf, even if it's hopeless."

"That's... yeah, I guess you're right, though." Marinette gave her a genuine smile this time. "Thank you for trying. I don't think there's anything I can really do."

"Oh, sure, Marinette couldn't..." Abella muttered, "but of course, Ladybug could."

"What was that?" Marinette asked.

"I was just thinking," Abella explained, "that if Ladybug ever deemed it useful, maybe she could help Chloe turn a new leaf."

Marinette didn't reply for a noticeable amount of time, but finally said, "I hope that happens."

"Same here." Abella replied, grinning. "Anyways, I've got to go. Good luck with Adrien!"

She left a blushing Marinette behind her, giggling to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Queen Bee looked out over the landscape of night-time Paris, only distracted from it when she was tapped on the shoulder by a set of claws that was quickly becoming familiar.

"And how's Queenie this lovely night?" He asked gallantly, grinning like, well, a cat.

"Good evening, Chat Noir," Abella replied, "and I'm doing well. And you?"

"As much as I adore your company, Queenie, it would be better if Ladybug were here." he sighed, letting loose a happy sound that did nothing to hide anything about how he felt.

Abella frowned.

"Say," she asked, "Why do you like Ladybug so much?"

"She's perfection!" He cried, completely shocked by the idea of someone not understanding. "The grace of a ballet dancer, the charm to woo a thousand, the valiant nature in which she preforms her duty-!"

"And did you ever consider why she's like that?" Abella inquired.

"Eh?" He tilted his head. "I don't get it."

"As in, do you really think the civilian her is like that?" Abella asked seriously. "I'm sure you change when you transform, and as much as I don't experience too many personality changes, I'm sure she does, like you do."

"Well, yeah," he admitted, "but I doubt she experiences the kind of emotional repression I do." he paused. "Thank goodness."

Abella sat down on the edge of the building. "I don't think you get it," she admitted. "I guess Chat Noir, to you, means freedom. For me, Queen Bee means... excitement, being able to actually help people around me, being the person I wanted to be." She looked out on the Parisian landscape. "But Ladybug? I'm not so sure."

"Well, I'm sure she must have a great life!" He decided. "Someone as nice as that wouldn't be raised like me."

"You're a nice person too, Chat Noir," Queen Bee replied, giggling. "But going on your point, what do you think Ladybug means to Ladybug?"

"Well, I'm not sure." he admitted. "Are you suggesting she doesn't want to be a superhero?"

"Not that specifically," Abella replied quickly. "I think that she's just... forced to be strong. Like, she knows her duty, and she wants to get through it as quickly and as well as she can. She isn't naturally 'Ladybug'; she has to focus on being the hero people want. And for that reason, she can't relax as Ladybug, or be herself - because she needs to be the person people can look to when things go wrong."

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," he mumbled, looking at his hand. Quirking a smile, he continued, "guess that's why she's got no time for puns."

"I'm sure she'd like them," Abella comforted.

"I still love her after all this time," he said wistfully. "I won't give up."

There were a few moments where they sat, legs dangling, on the edge of the City Hall, until Abella found her words again.

"Who do you love?" she asked simply.

"I just said that," he grumbled. "I love Ladybug. Didn't you hear me?"

"Yes, but I was hoping I'd misheard." Abella admitted. "Do you think that Ladybug would love you?"

"She'll have to eventually, I'm irresistible," he boasted, more jokingly than anything else.

"No, I don't mean Chat Noir," Abella explained. "I mean you. The you you really are, when the Kwami aren't around to change you."

He seemed to really think at that statement. He reached behind his neck and fiddled with his hair for a moment, something so Adrien that she couldn't deny it, and he replied more quietly, "I never thought of that before."

"Ladybug has," Abella said confidently. "I'm sure of it."

"Why?" he asked simply.

"Because she knows who you love, and it isn't her," Abella replied sadly.

"But I do love her!" he protested. "Aren't you listening?"

"Then listen, kit-cat, before you do something stupid," Abella scolded. "You love Ladybug. Not the girl under the mask. How do you think she feels? Constantly pretending to be someone else, refusing you because it isn't her you want?" She sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just so hard for me to think that you don't realize that."

He blinked. Abella glanced over, only to gasp when she saw tears.

"I, agh, I'm sorry!" She griped. Reaching into her bag, she tossed him a tissue, which he took thankfully.

"I've been blind," he said quietly. "We're both different people, under the mask. And she knew, and I didn't. I've been so used to Chat Noir being the person I want to be that I never considered it possible that it could be otherwise."

"Hey, it's okay," Abella soothed. "but hey, you never know. Maybe Ladybug's personality is just a part of her - you have a whole lot more to discover is all." She smirked. "And she'll still have the same amazing figure."

Chat Noir dropped his tissue and coughed a few times before looking sheepishly at her.

"But you know, I'm surprised you haven't figured out who she is yet," Abella commented.

"Not like you have," Chat Noir teased, only to be met by silence. A few moments later, he touched her shoulder gently and asked, "Who?"

"Not telling, then I wouldn't be a good superhero," Abella said smartly. "But it's not like you aren't just as obvious about who you are."

He looked shocked for a brief moment, but quickly regained posture. "Are you sure, Queenie?~"

"Definite, Kit-cat," Abella grinned, poking him. "Only an Agreste has this sort of face."

"Then tell me who Queen Bee is, if you're so smart," he challenged, hiding his surprise as quickly as possible.

"Bumble." She giggled. "That's all I'm telling you, kit-cat. Well, okay, fine, here's something better. Look around you, and you may find someone familiar." She started at the banging of a clock nearby.

"And there we have Church bells, announcing the end of my shift," Abella said, getting up. With a smirk, she said, "Nice _Chat_ , kit-cat. _Cat_ ch you later."

He stared into the distance, and was only interrupted by his abrupt de-transformation - he'd used Cataclysm before he'd arrived on some guy calling himself 'the wanderer'. Plagg sat on his shoulder and commented, "Seems like Queenie's pretty smart. And she made two cat puns, that's a definite plus."

Adrien hung his head. "At least _someone_ likes my cat puns," he grumbled.

* * *

The next morning, Abella stretched and walked to school again, a slight skip in her step. As she stopped by the park, Byssi poked her head out of Abella's backpack pocket and asked, "Is this another personality taking charge?"

"That's about right," Abella said wistfully. "There's a part of me that's... very romance oriented." Abella admitted. She punched a tree. "And she's really angry right now because _It's so gosh-darn obvious."_

"Marinette and Adrien at it again, yeah?" Byssi sympathized. "It's always like this for the big two. Happens every time they show up, and nothing happens until Ladybug wants it to."

"So, wait, I'm stuck watching the OTP fawn over each other from afar until Marinette - _Marinette -_ confesses to Adrien about her identity?" Abella gaped incredulously.

"That's about the size of it," Byssi confirmed.

There was a silence.

"You know what?" Abella said idly. "I'm going to go to Chloe. And I'm going to ask her to drabble on about the newest fashions for a bit to get my mind off of that before I explode."

"Normally I'd advise against that, but it actually sounds appealing right now, considering we're stuck with the ever-oblivious couple." Byssi agreed.

* * *

"So wait, you're telling me that these two friends of yours are like, crushing on each other?" Chloe asked, sending a hand through her hair. "And I thought Adrien was the oblivious one."

"Trust me, these two are worse," Abella insisted. "They spend every. Gosh-darn. Day. Talking about the other one. It's really annoying, especially for an expert matchmaker like me, and I can barely cope with watching them get all embarrassed for no reason other than they're too preoccupied with their own secret crushes to realize that the other one is being all floaty and stuttery." She threw her head on the desk. "I'm going to die before these two break out of dreamland and see what's right in front of them."

"Geez, matchmaker?" Chloe smirked. "You like watching couples? You need a boyfriend."

Abella waved her off. "Me? Hello, girl, wake up. That's never happening ever."

"Nothing some good clothes can't fix," Chloe remarked, making Abella look up in surprise.

"What?" Chloe blinked. "What's with that weirdo face you're giving me? Is it something I said?"

"Yeah," Abella said breathlessly. "You - Chloe Bourgeois, lady Queen of all she lays eyes upon, Mrs I'm after Adrien, Best Friend of the girl who does all her homework, just said something legitimately _nice_ to me." She paused. "Okay, that came out way worse than I wanted it to. You just seem like the kind of person who has way too much of themselves to give much of a care what others are doing."

Chloe seemed stunned. "But... you're my friend! Why would I do that?" She seemed near tears. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Nothing, it's how you treat others," Abella admitted. "Like Sabrina. Even when you try, you keep saying stuff that would make others feel bad. Like 'take this, it makes you less ugly' or 'do my homework, you're my friend right?'. The list goes on, but while I know you don't ever mean it, it's surprising for you to be able to say such nice things." Abella gripped her forehead. "Maybe it's me. Maybe I just had a lucid dream and I'm dreaming up all these weird bully attributes. Maybe I'm just all confused by why I'm not being bullied anymore."

Chloe paused. "I... do say things like that. Because I can, people should know their place." Though her tone was haughty, she nodded to herself to make herself more comfortable. "Everyone loves me anyway. If I say anything to them, they should be happy."

Abella tilted her head. "You think that your status automatically makes anything you say nice?"

"Well, Daddy always said I was a princess, and he's right," she shivered. "Right? I'm special."

"You have the potential to be more," Abella said calmly - in the tone of one stating a fact. "You're a big presence already, but what you need is kindness, Chloe. I don't think it comes naturally to you, and I blame upbringing for that."

"I was raised like royalty, so I should be treated like it," she said firmly.

"Your status doesn't change my image of you, Chloe," Abella commented sadly. "To me, whether you wear rags or golden bangles, you will always be Chloe."

"I-I..." Chloe stuttered. "No, you're wrong, I was born great-" She stopped suddenly and wiped away a tear.

"Here, tissue?" Abella offered, allowing the girl to sniff for a bit longer.

"I-I just want e-everyone to l-like me," she stuttered through tears. "I didn't g-get it at a-all, did I? Nooo, Chloe isn't worth being friends with. Everybody hates Chloe. Even Ladybug hates Chloe."

"I don't hate you, Chloe," Abella told her honestly. "I think that somewhere in the veil of blind status abuse is a really nice girl."

"You think so?" Chloe asked, her makeup going runny.

"You should clean up before all your makeup gets ruined," Abella suggested. "And yes. Otherwise, why would Sabrina choose you over Marinette? Everybody fawns over Marinette, but Sabrina chose you."

"You hang out with Marinette," Chloe muttered darkly.

"I like her, too," Abella admitted. "She's so gullible and helpless sometimes. There's a sweet girl in Marinette too, Chloe. You two have more in common than you think."

"Why are you comparing me to that- that Worm?!" Chloe cried. "She's-"

"Ah, no, hush!" Abella hissed, putting a finger to Chloe's mouth. She was so stunned that she didn't even complain as she was lead to the bathroom and her makeup fixed with what was available. Much of it had to be wiped away, revealing a paler face and brighter eyes.

"I can think of a few things you have in common," Abella commented, walking out of the bathroom slowly. "For instance, you both get jealous easily. Especially when it comes to men."

"Tsk! She keeps stealing Adrien, it's her fault," Chloe muttered.

"And you don't do the same?" Abella smirked. "Nothing to be afraid of, though. I'd probably do the same, to be honest."

Chloe hmph'd and turned away.

"Plus, you both like fashion," Abella pointed out. "You're always on top of trends, just like she is."

"True," Chloe preened, showing off her clothes. "I do have a fantastic sense of fashion."

"You both have stunning blue eyes," Abella continued, hoping to stroke her ego at the same time as helping her realize. It worked instantly, her fluttering her eyes with a mock modesty.

"I think I've said enough for now," Abella decided. "But I'm sure you'll find that the two of you have a lot in common."

"I..." Chloe thought carefully. "Since you're my friend, I'll consider taking a look into being less antagonistic towards her. But know this; I'm never going to stop competing for Adrien's affections."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Abella swore. "That's fair ground, as long as nothing gets verbal."

Chloe paused, and before leaving, she said, "You know, I like Sabrina, but I feel like I can talk to you as more of an equal."

"It's because I don't feel a need to change how I act around you," Abella replied with a restrained smile. "I'm always completely honest with everyone, Chloe. It's who I am." She smiled. "If I may say... I think, if you were a superhero, you'd make an excellent Queen Bee."

Chloe posed haughtily. "'Tis I, Queen Bee, down from the heavens! Go, my minions, and aid our dear heroes!"

There was a short exchange of laughter. Abella gripped her side until it stopped, and said more seriously, "Actually, Chloe... here's something. I have a nickname - Bumble."

"No, you?" She gasped, mocking a scandalized shock. "I never would have guessed!"

They laughed and parted ways.

Byssi popped out of her bag and said bluntly, "She's definitely not Superhero material."

"You must admit, though," Abella replied smartly, "that if you had to choose a superhero guise for her, it would be Queen Bee. She screams Queen of her hive, although I admit that she would make a horrible Queen Bee."

"You can say that again," Byssi said firmly, rolling her eyes and refusing to accept that _she'd_ be the one to deal with super-Chloe.

* * *

Chloe stood over Marinette, trying desperately to keep a straight face. She wanted to frown, she wanted to laugh at her own stupidity. She was trying to make a truce. With Marinette.

She glanced around and walked over to Abella, who she grabbed and pulled over so that she could hiss into her ear.

"What the heck am I supposed to do?" She cried quietly. "'oh, gee, sorry for ruining these last three months of your life and ruining all your chances with Adrien, let's hug it out?' It's not going to work, Bumble!"

"Of course it will," Abella comforted. "Marinette is a forgiving person, even if she'll hold a bit of a grudge for a time afterwards."

"Please help me," she begged, grabbing Abella's hand. Abella nodded and turned around to see Alya staring her down.

Abella smiled at her, much to Alya's surprise, who had probably assumed there would be a conflict. Abella winked at Chloe secretively and said to Alya, "Mind if we talk later?"

"I don't know _what_ has gotten into you, girl, but there'd better be a good explanation." she grumbled, looking Chloe up and down like she was her next meal. Chloe gulped quietly.

* * *

"What." Alya stared at them, barely believing her ears. "I must be dreaming, surely. Chloe? Want to make a truce - no, apologize?"

She seemed so shocked that it nearly hurt.

"I... had an epi..epi.."

"Epiphany," Abella supplied. "She realized what was happening, Alya. As much as I understand your upset, I also hoped you'd be more accepting of the change of heart," Abella admitted. "Chloe never means to be mean - she just didn't know what she was doing wrong."

Chloe sniffled. "I... can't escape this one. It was all me, and I should never have assumed my status meant so much. I was just always taught that way and-" she took a deep breath. "Abella opened my eyes, I guess." It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that this was painful for her to say, like she was being forced to swallow something unpleasant.

"So you're going to stop being mean to Marinette?" Alya asked hopefully.

"Alya," Abella shook her head. "as much as Marinette is innocent, you can't deny that she's tried things too. I believe they're equals on this ground, but I hope that they stop doing crazy things for the sake of love, too."

Alya frowned, and said nothing for a few moments. Then, with great reluctance, she said, "I guess you're right. Marinette has always been so kind to everyone, but I guess she has her flaws too." She shuffled her feet. "I'm sorry, when I saw you and Chloe I just felt like she'd wrapped you up like she did with Sabrina, and I wondered if you'd use Marinette's crush against her."

There was an awkward silence before Abella pulled out her lunch.

"Chocolate, anyone?"

* * *

Queen Bee watched from above as Ladybug purged the poor little butterfly of evil. With a flourish and a smile she let it go free, and Chat Noir approached with a wicked grin.

"Purrfect as always, my lady," he praised her. Ladybug pushed him away with a single finger, a similarly playful look dancing on her normally serious features.

Abella's eyebrow twitched.

"Don't even think about it, Kitty," Ladybug said calmly, though her tone was practically inviting him to continue making bad puns.

Abella bit her lip and forced her silence.

"You wound me," he proclaimed, acting as if he were struck by an arrow. "I will love you _fur_ ever."

Abella snapped.

"You two are the worst case I've ever seen," Abella said blatantly. "Please stop before I force you to go on a date."

"What? We're just talking," Ladybug protested, making Chat Noir's ears droop.

"Look, from in punland over there it probably looks natural," Abella admitted, "but from here it's so blatantly obvious that I can't even begin to explain how ridiculous this all is."

"What is?" they asked in unison, turning from sitting next to each other, hand in hand.

Abella let out a strained gurgling sound before banging her head on a nearby lamp-post.

"I'm not the best at love things," Abella said, "but even I can see this, and you two can't. It's so p-a-i-n-f-u-l." She groaned and fell to the ground, before her brooch began to beep once more.

* * *

"Next time," she swore to Byssi, "I'm getting those two to kiss. It's a necessity."

"You can say that again," Byssi agreed.

* * *

Abella wandered in circles in her room. The day had rushed by and she needed to talk to someone. So, in a spur-of-the-moment thought, she grabbed her things and ran for the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

"Where are we going today?" Byssi asked simply from her shirt.

"Marinette's place," Abella explained. "Hopefully I can get some cakes off her. Then we're going to Master Fu's."

Byssi had no arguement, and the door to the place tinkled welcomingly as Marinette took a second to recognize her face.

"Oh, Abella!" She greeted amicably. "How are you?" Even as she spoke her mother and father turned to greet her as well.

"Ah, a friend of yours?" Tom inquired approvingly. "Welcome!"

"Welcome," Mrs Cheng agreed.

"Do you have anything I could get as a gift for an elderly friend of mine?" Abella inquired. "He's a bit of a loner so I wanted to do something nice for him."

"Of course!" Sabine agreed. "We have some soft biscuits on the left display." They chatted idly as she bought them, and thanked them before running off again.

* * *

Master Fu's place was quiet and peaceful, and so it was no surprise to her that she found him meditating before the sunset. Abella sighed and sat down next to him, taking on her own meditative state.

Opening one eye to look at her, he stated, "Has there been any trouble, miss Abella?"

"None," she replied, turning to face him. "I was bored, so I bought biscuits and came here." She offered them to him, and he took one with a nod of thanks before munching on it thoughtfully.

"Boredom is not something you appreciate in the slightest, is it?" He commented. "You obviously hate the idea of boredom."

"I do hate it," Abella replied. "Mostly because I spend a lot of time in it."

"Perhaps you should find a hobby in which to occupy yourself," He suggested. "Even with the weight of protecting the Miraculous, I've had my fair share of bored moments."

"Hm. Anything you suggest?" She inquired.

"Well," he considered, stroking his beard, "Maybe reporting on superhero activities like that Alya girl? Or matchmaking. I've found that one entirely rewarding."

Abella gave him a flat look. "Yes, I'm fully aware that those two are destiny, and I've given up on it. Okay?" she shook her head. "They're just so... hopeless."

"Maybe you should wedge yourself into it?" He offered, grinning with a youthfulness that Abella had had yet to see. She blinked in surprise.

"I couldn't -"

"Tease Adrien," He suggested. "I'm sure it will be as rewarding for you as teasing Marinette has been for Alya."

Abella made a face, but instead of protesting, she commented, "I'll give it a go."

* * *

Queen Bee had the day off. Well, technically it was a patrol, but she didn't want to. She was bored, and she was going to enjoy her day.

It did not help that she had both a bubbly, energetic persona and a persona that did nothing but be lazy. So she both wanted to do everything but shrugged and moved on at everything she saw.

Then, of course, she caught sight of Adrien. She smirked, and quickly dove into an alleyway to de-transform, before coming out of it as if nothing had happened. She only had to look around for a moment before catching sight of him surrounded by fangirls. Strange... where was his usual set of bodyguards?

She tore her way through the crowd, the people parting to make room for her until eventually she reached him.

"Hi!" She called. "Seems like you're between a rock and a hard place, hm?"

"You can say that again," he muttered. "please help."

"Cool by me," Abella agreed. Reaching out expertly, she snatched his hand and dragged him away, waving any who approached off with a protective arm.

"Oh, please don't tell Dad about this," Adrien requested. "Gorilla was getting me sweets... I'm not supposed to have any, and Gorilla isn't supposed to leave my side, so..."

"Prepare for trouble?" Abella suggested.

Adrien grinned broadly and replied, "Make that double."

They kept joking all the way back to Adrien's.

* * *

After a moment, Gabriel sighed and said, "I reluctantly approve this friend of yours. She is not to lay a finger on you, however."

"Of course, father!" Adrien cried happily, gripping Abella's hand full force. A bit of smooth talking and positive imagery was enough to convince Mr Overprotective, apparently. They stormed up the stairs into Adrien's room, which she paused to look at for a moment before stating, "Awesome, but I am never going to unsee the giant Ladybug poster in the corner."

Adrien pouted. "Unfair. Just because I'm some sort of famous model people think I'm supposed to be above fanboy status." he grabbed a ladybug doll off a shelf and hugged it. "and anyway, the plushes are as close as I can get to hugging her."

Abella snorted in a desperate attempt to not laugh before finally breaking into a wicked grin.

"Right," she decided. "Whether you like it or not, I'm getting you over this whole superhero crush and we're going to find you an appropriate girlfriend."

"But Ladybug!" he protested.

"Will probably end up being the one you choose," she reasoned. "Look, just sit tight and I'll tell you what to do."

"No." He pouted, turning away.

"Oh, c'mon," Abella teased. "There are plenty of sweet girls there, and most of them don't look at you like a slab of meat, which is definitely better than picking a random fangirl." She reasoned. "Plus, as much as Ladybug is awesome, that doesn't mean that her superhero persona can really just decide to go on dates with people."

"Yeah, I know," he muttered into his pillows, "but sometimes I wish it wasn't like that, y'know? She's-"

"Perfect, Beautiful, Strong, Kind?" Abella finished for him. "Yes, yes, we've heard it before."

"Hey, wait," he paused, "when did I tell you...?"

Abella grinned. "I have my ways."

He sighed in defeat. "Right, so basically your whole entire goal is getting me over Ladybug?" He turned his back. "Try again when I want to stop loving Ladybug."

Abella shrugged. "Eh, I tried. But now that's done with, let's do something."

He perked up. "Oh, like what?"

"Up to you," She told him. "We could play video games, or if your Dad would allow it we could go to the park and mess around on the structures... oh, or we could play tag," she suggested.

"What's tag?" he asked innocently, and for a moment nothing happened. Then Abella turned to face him and gave him a look that told him he should probably be running for his life.

She smiled. "Tag it is."

* * *

The Gorilla, as many called him, was a burly man who was tall even without his fancy shoes. His hair was just beginning to grey at the sideburn area, not bad for a man such as himself, though he had already been serving the young master for a very long time.

His blue eyes watched carefully as Adrien, the young master, ran around the park with his new friend. Though he remained poker faced, inside he smiled. Finally, Mr Agreste had begun to allow the poor child some room to breathe. A public school had been a big step forward, and the young master looked happier every day. And now, here he was, watching the young master play tag for the first time, with a girl who called herself Abella.

Abella had been an enigma the moment she stepped into the house. Walking by the young master's side, she had quickly been admitted, and she instantly recognized how things worked. With a bit of encouragement, supposedly innocent guilt-tripping, and manipulation he was sure even Mr Agreste hadn't noticed, she had managed to convince Mr Agreste not only to allow her presence, but to allow her in and out whenever she pleased, as long as she was invited beforehand. And now? She'd managed to take it farther.

How did she seem to know exactly what to do to trigger the father within Mr Agreste?

And so, the Gorilla watched. Maybe if he tried, he could learn from this girl, and he would be able to help the young master further.

Just then, an explosion went off, and Abella immediately called out for Adrien to stop running. He paused and gave her a look, before she called out to the Gorilla himself.

"Head for the Dupain-Cheng Bakery!" She instructed him. "There's a girl there who can contact Ladybug, Chat Noir and Queen Bee!"

He was about to protest when the grabbed his hand and stated very seriously, "I will protect Adrien with my life."

He gulped and decided that just this once, it would be alright. He didn't know why he trusted this mystery girl, but she seemed to know what she was doing.

* * *

As the Gorilla peeled off, Abella grabbed Adrien's hand and began dragging him towards an older house, before she briefly let go to unlock it.

"Don't try to escape," She told him seriously. "I know." He paused from his edging away and stared her in the eye, his look being returned by eyes that gave him shivers. There was a cold, hard seriousness in her eyes, solid and unwavering, and he found himself obeying her.

He ran inside, her following him, as he looked around for a good place to transform where she wouldn't see him. He was interrupted when she patted him on the shoulder.

"Hurry up and transform," she said comfortingly. "I already know who you are. No one will see you. There's an escape hatch up on the second floor, can't miss it from the inside." She smirked. "I'll be hanging out in the TV room getting reports over to anyone and everyone I can. Go!" She dashed off, and he decided to take her word for it. WIth a deep breath he let Chat Noir come into being and climbed the stairs, breaking through the escape hatch and climbing up to the roof.

He caught sight of his target, and Ladybug not far off, already headed there.

Well, he couldn't keep his Lady waiting, could he?


	4. Chapter 4

Abella transformed as quickly as she could, leaping out her window and setting her wings going.

"Right, Akuma, where is it?" Abella muttered, looking around. She paused when she saw Alya dragging Marinette away. With a jolt, she remembered why that was probably a bad thing and flew over.

"Did you see the Akuma?" She asked first, not really sure yet how to pull Marinette away.

"I did," Alya said. "I even got footage! I was just getting Marinette somewhere safe-" she started.

"Good. Alya, you will lead me to the Akuma," Abella insisted. "Marinette, was it? Take cover somewhere safe." Marinette gave her a confused look before deciding not to question it, instead running in the opposite direction.

Abella grabbed Alya's hand and hoisted her onto her shoulders before taking off. Alya let out a whoop of excitement before looking around carefully.

"It headed that way," she stated, pointing. "And can I take a movie? I've never flown before!"

Abella sighed. "I don't see why not. Go ahead." With the confirmation given, Alya whipped out her phone and in moments she was talking to it (and presumably the blog's viewers) about the situation. Abella rolled her eyes and kept flying, turning a bit to follow where the blasts of magic were going off.

With a gentle touchdown, Abella made certain that Alya was in a safe position before hopping off the roof and taking stance in front of the girl who stood in front of her. With a gasp that she held in her throat she realized very suddenly who it was, and that they had been akumatized a _second_ time.

"Lila," she breathed, her face creasing with worry. "What happened to you?"

"Liars," she hissed, not even paying Queen Bee half a mind. "All of you! Truth is nothing but a memory for you! I'll make you pay, all of you!" Her hands balled into fists as she turned around and caught sight of Queen Bee.

Dropping down to the ground, Abella's eyes narrowed, but she did nothing. She couldn't hurt Lila. She wouldn't let herself. She felt her chin gripped roughly by hands covered in reddish-orange leather. She thought idly that Lila looked like a fox-ish creature with a jar of bees buzzing around her, although admittedly the bees were words. It was different from before, the pure Fox costume she'd donned from last time she was akumatized.

"You too, little hero," She muttered. "I bet you're filled with lies... let's see what you have to say." With a snap, the words floated around her, and Abella whipped out her staff before twirling it to send the word-bees away. It took some effort, but she was fighting them off.

"You should just succumb to it," Lila suggested. "Lies are worthless, just like people. Go on. Tell me how much you hate things. Tell me everything."

"No," Abella refused, the tense tone in her voice more overshadow from the stress of holding back the bees. "The truth is not always the answer."

"Oh?" She grinned. "How horribly stupid. The truth will be there eventually; why not get it now? Don't you want to know who Ladybug and Chat Noir are? What your teachers think of you? Maybe who loves you and who doesn't?"

"No," Abella said bluntly. "I am perfectly willing to remain in blissful ignorance for now, thank you. I will ask another day for the truth, when I'm ready for it."

Lila's eyes narrowed, and for a moment Abella saw her friend through the haze. She didn't pause for long, however, before a new wave of word-bees kept her busy.

"You don't have to tell the truth," Abella said confidently.

"Ha!" Lila mocked, glaring down at her friend's struggles. "Look where that got me."

"You were telling the wrong lies," Abella continued. "Some lies are good ones; others hurt. You chose the ones most likely to hurt you." She winced as one of the word-bees clung to her outfit, but managed to brush them off and keep whacking at them with her staff.

Lila glared at her for a moment before taking a few steps forward. "No matter what lies were told, all that I got was loneliness. Abandonment. Cruelty." She smiled sweetly, and for a moment the real Lila seemed to be in there. "If lies are so horrible, wouldn't the world be better without them?"

"if we didn't live in a world full of lies," Abella countered, "life would be a pretty boring place, Lila. So many harsh truths that would be lied about to protect people... as much as honesty is a good value to have, you can't go on without lying. It would tear the world apart."

"And what about all the people who hated me when I lied?!" Lila cried. She sent out a beam of purplish-yellow from her hand and hit a group of people who began exclaiming loudly, the area around them destroyed.

"I didn't hate you, Lila," Abella told her simply. "I thought you were just misunderstood."

There was a short pause. Then, Lila began to shiver violently.

"Miss Bee..." she murmured. "Run." With that one word coughed out, she dashed at Abella at blinding speeds, and Abella had no choice but to block. gripping Lila's hands, she bit her lip and focused on channeling her strength into fighting back.

"Lila. Where is the Akuma?" She asked simply.

Lila blinked, then frowned. "It's in... it's in..."

"This is where honesty is important, Lila," Abella continued.

"The necklace," she ground out, before she let go suddenly and gripped Abella's neck.

It was quite obvious what Lila was trying to do, so Abella gulped, and said through strained breath, "I'm sorry, Lila."

Then she gripped her friend's waist and bent backwards at lightning speed, smashing Lila bodily into the pavement and shocking her body enough that she let go of Abella's neck. Abella twisted back and flew into the air, hovering over her friend and the unexpected shock crater that her maneuver had made.

Lila shook it off slowly, shivering, and as she did, two more familiar heroes hopped over the rooftops.

"Her necklace," Abella said quickly to Ladybug as she fluttered over. "That was all I got out of her."

"It's enough, but how did you do it?" Ladybug asked. "Did you try to reason with her? It never works."

"I tried," Abella admitted. "That was all the conscious Lila could say before the akuma took over. I'm so sorry... I'll follow your lead. I think I've made enough bad decisions today."

Ladybug winced at how Lila was climbing up to them, slowly but surely, and Abella floated a bit before gulping and dashing forward. She took a deep breath and looked over the side.

She felt something claw her face painfully, and she winced, but instead of taking it off of her face she reached for the necklace and ripped it violently off of Lila's neck. She then used her other hand to grab the hand clawing her face and pulled Lila up, looking to see Ladybug's yoyo capture the Akuma.

With a deep breath, she let go of Lila's arm and waited, only turning when Ladybug tapped her shoulder.

"We've all tried it once," Ladybug admitted. "Hawkmoth always takes control before we can do much, however. She doesn't seem as bad as the others, however, so she should be fine. It'll bruise, but otherwise she'll be okay."

"Good," Abella said quietly. "I'm never going to let this happen again."

Lila blinked awake and stared at Abella for a few moments. Then, very slowly, she said, "I was akumatized..."

"Again, might I add," Ladybug commented. "But that's okay, we-"

Lila hissed.

"Lila, what's wrong?" Abella asked, confused.

"Go away, Ladybug," She hissed. "Just because of all your honesty preaching I wasn't able to make any friends at all..."

"You used my identity to try and get closer to people," Ladybug replied, frowning. "I understand if you don't like me for going against you on that, but-"

"Hush, Ladybug," Abella said suddenly, so suddenly that Ladybug stopped. Chat Noir leaped on the roof at just that moment, having spoken with the police, looking around in confusion.

"I understand," Abella smiled, taking Lila's hand. "I know how it feels to be like that. Lying in an effort to make friends is common, Lila. I've been there before."

She gulped. "But Ladybug-"

"Was jealous," Abella giggled. "If you get what I mean. Hanging off of someone's arm can give an... interesting impression, can't it?" she smiled. "And after all... I wonder why she was near enough to show up out of the blue like that?"

Lila blinked, then looked at Ladybug for a moment. She had to do a double-take to make sure that she was seeing right, because Ladybug's face was as red as her mask.

"I-I-It isn't like that!" She protested. "Oh look I'm out of time gotta go see ya!" She cried, before dashing off at an incredible rate.

"Strange," Chat Noir commented. "My Lady is never like that. And she had all the time in the world... her Miraculous hadn't beeped once."

Lila and Abella promptly burst into laughter.

"Okay, okay, that _does_ make more sense," Lila giggled. "Who would've thought _that?_ "

"But more seriously," Abella said, taking a deep breath, "I'm so sorry, Lila. This is a new situation on me, I hadn't considered that the akuma could take full control... you aren't hurt too bad, are you?"

"A few bruises, but nothing more," she said, looking around at her arms and body carefully. "I should be fine. Thank you for getting me out of there."

Abella smiled at her. "Take my hand, I'll help you down off of the roof."

* * *

As Abella walked home, she caught sight of a familiar red outfit and a familiar blonde. With an inward smile she moved on. She didn't want to disturb the moment, no matter how cute it was that Ladybug was apologizing after all this time.

* * *

Abella sorted her clothes idly, sighing repeatedly, before finally lying flat on her bed and groaning.

"Are you okay, Abella?" Byssi inquired, floating over.

"I will be," Abella grumbled, squeezing her pillow. "I just feel horrible for how I treated Lila."

"Hey, it's okay," Byssi reiterated. "Ladybug said so, too."

"Ladybug has made mistakes before," Abella said, in the tone of one stating a fact. "I know it isn't a very good reason, but Ladybug is still learning. She isn't all-powerful."

She got up suddenly and gripped her head, taking a few deep breaths. She paused, and very quietly, she picked up a pillow.

Then, with strength that was almost certainly acquired, she threw it across the room, knocking over some of the things on her shelf.

"Doesn't matter," she muttered. "HA! Nothing matters if you think like that. It's all a pretty lie." She groaned and threw herself into her bed again.

"You know, Byssi," Abella murmured, "I have trouble accepting the truth. I can see the truth in anyone, because the spectrum of honesty means a lot to me. It's a skill I've had for a long time." She hugged her legs to her chest and rocked herself slowly. "But you see, no-one is ever there for me to lean on when I finally am able to accept it. I'm going to be crying and screaming over what I did today, and for that, I'm sorry." She let herself fall to one side and closed her eyes, which were already red from the strain of holding back tears. "I hate how I tear up like this at the littlest things."

Byssi fluttered over with a tissue in her small hands. Silently, she offered it to Abella, who grabbed it gently and wiped away her tears before quietly laying on one side, contemplating the day.

* * *

The next morning, Abella stood outside the school gates quietly, hoping that Lila would get there early. She leaned against a tree, and Byssi flew out of her hairpin to talk.

"You realize that if you try to apologize for the akuma attack you're basically revealing your identity?" Byssi commented. "It's dangerous to, especially with a girl as unstable as her."

"More dangerous for Ladybug and Chat Noir," Abella commented testily. More calmly, she continued, "keeping secrets will make a Queen Bee like myself weak. Plus, by sharing my inner self with them, we all become stronger. I need to build myself a hive if I want to be of any use to Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Byssi smiled. "I need to tell you - you're the first. The first one to value honesty so strongly."

"Everyone is unique," Abella commented, "but I'm glad that's what you notice about me."

Then her eyes turned, and were laid upon a brown-haired girl who stared quite forcefully on one spot. She blinked, very slowly, then raised a single finger to point at Byssi.

"Well then, Lila," Abella said calmly, though her voice had a very small sting to it, "I'd appreciate if you followed me for a bit. There're a few things you need to know."

Lila could only bear to nod quietly before following Abella away from the school gates at 5 in the morning.

* * *

There was a silence in the old, Chinese-style room that could only be rivalled by the silence in space. The old man was perfectly happy to give them their space, he had said with a light chuckle, before disappearing behind the door through which Abella and Lila had entered.

"So," Lila said quietly, breaking the silence, "You're Queen Bee."

"Right in one," Abella agreed.

"What was that- that fairy-bee thing?" She asked. "It-"

"Her name is Byssi," Abella supplied. "She is the source of my superpowers. My Miraculous."

"Miraculous what?" Lila inquired.

"Just Miraculous," Abella said firmly. "The artefacts that house the kwami, like Byssi, are called Miraculous. Sometimes referred to as Miraculous stones, but they're the same thing." She smiled, and Byssi fluttered out from the hairpin. "This is Byssi, my friend and the Kwami that allows me to become Queen Bee. Chat Noir and Ladybug also have Kwami." She smirked. "I believe it was... Tikki and Plagg?"

"Yes," Byssi agreed. Fluttering over, she landed on Lila's lap. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lila. While I was originally opposed to the idea, I'm willing to accept it. I hope you will live up to the expectations."

Lila gulped quietly at the small face, until she was pulled away with one delicate finger. She looked up to Abella's face, which bore a playful expression.

"Don't worry," she comforted. "While knowing my identity is a heavy load, we're here to help. Master Fu will be here to talk, too. I'm sorry I had to break it to you like this."

"No, no, that's not it," she waved off. "I wasn't sad that you hadn't, secret identities are really important! It's just..." she gulped. "My friend is a superhero. A real life, magical transformation, defeat supervillains on a daily basis superhero."

"Sure, and you're the girl who makes Ladybug jealous," Abella shot back, smiling like a Cheshire cat. "It isn't really so incredible, Lila. I think it's more incredible that destiny has decided to make Ladybug and Chat Noir the ultimate power couple."

"What?" Lila gasped. "So they _are_ dating?"

"Not yet," Abella admitted. "You have _no_ idea how infuriating it is to be watching them get all intimate and then have them sit there and barely realize what's going on." She shrugged. "But destiny demands that no Chat Noir will discover any Ladybug's identity until she desires to be found."

"Wait, back up," Lila said, taking a deep breath. "Okay. So. My friend, Abella, is an age-old superhero, thousands of years old, who works with other superheroes who are also thousands of years old. And they haven't confessed to each other yet?"

"False," Abella said calmly. "First, only the Kwami are thousands of years old; humans like us are just vessels for the superpowers, although the individual skill and qualities of the people are what really make the superheroes alive." She pointed to a scroll on the wall. "That's an ancient Ladybug, for example. The Ladybug back then discovered the identity of that Chat Noir," she continued, pointing to another scroll, "and they eventually ended up together. But modern Ladybug and Chat Noir are different people, and have not yet discovered their civilian identities."

"Wow." Lila commented breathlessly. "So these are all past superheroes?"

"I believe so," Abella agreed. "Byssi has watched over every Queen Bee there's ever been, though, so really, Queen Bee is just Byssi with a human vessel every so many generations."

"How come there are so few Queen Bees?" Lila inquired, as she looked around the peacock images, the turtle images, even the fox images.

Bysis flew over. "That's easy to explain," She said wisely. "Queen Bees get their strength from companionship, friends, being surrounded by support. They are, quite literally, queens to hives, except with the metaphor applying to people, especially people who are secretly superheroes." She pointed. "And it's even more true that they are rare when you consider how the conditions have to be. You'd need both to have most of the Kwami active, and for there to be some evil that needed to be conquered or defeated." She shrugged. "But usually, there being a lot of superheroes means that no extra Kwami-users are needed, so I'm usually active during times of extreme war or other really serious events."

"Active?" Lila inquired helplessly.

"Superheroes are only active - as in, working with a kwami and transforming regularly - when they are needed. Miraculous are held by a guardian when not in use. Our current guardian is Master Fu, who bears the Turtle kwami." Byssi supplied.

Abella came up to her friend and dragged her back to the mat in the center of the room. "Now that your curiosity has been satisfied," She said firmly, "It's time to teach you about keeping the secret."

Pushing her gently back into a sitting position, Abella sat down across from her and started off. "First, I have to explain why our identities are so important..."

* * *

The next day was a bit calmer, and Abella was glad that her conscience was once again clear. She had decided to stick by Lila a bit more often, since Lila could help her get an alibi if she needed it - it was also good for if Byssi needed to hide. All around, it was incredibly efficient, and Abella was glad she could finally get a bit of the weight off her chest.

Even as she waved, Lila grinned and called, "Mind if we talk?"

This specific phrase they had chosen to hint they wanted to talk about the Miraculous. Abella glanced left and right, then nodded. "Go ahead."

"Do you know who Ladybug and Chat Noir are?" Lila asked in a hushed whisper. "Just curious."

"I know," Abella admitted, "But I'm not going to tell you. You remember the speech I gave yesterday."

"I do remember," Lila agreed, deadpan. "Mostly because you gave it 4 times."

"I forgot I'd told you, okay?" Abella grumbled.

"4 times. In a row, Abella." Lila giggled.

* * *

That night was calmer. Ladybug and Chat Noir were handling the patrols, so Abella was getting some decent sleep - she had pushed her mornings forward by an hour at least, which pleased Byssi immensely. As Abella sorted her school bag so that she could grab it and go in the morning, Byssi fluttered over to a window.

"Say, Abella," Byssi commented, turning to her charge. "Why don't you call Jean?"

"..."

She paused, turning around, and said carefully, "Jean... is sleeping."

"How do you know?"

"He always is..." she murmured. "Asleep, or busy..." she shook her head. "It doesn't matter. If it makes you happy, I'll see if I can stop him and chat next time I see him on the streets."

Byssi sighed and decided she'd be happy with that. She couldn't get rid of the notion that her charge was hard-set on making life hard for herself and stopping herself from enjoying the luxuries she had at her fingertips.

She fluttered into the jewelry box and hoped for restful sleep.

Oh, how wrong she was.

* * *

A/N: CLIFFHANGERS! MWAHAHAH~

But on a different note - I'm back! Forgive me for my tardiness on the chapter, but I've spent the last few weeks hyping over scenes that haven't been written (OMG the _quotes_ ) and trying to find a good transition. I think this was the best I could do for now...


	5. Chapter 5

Byssi woke up to incoherent mumbling.

It always interested her how humans dropped their defenses in their own rooms, or even how differently they acted in their sleep. Sleep patterns said a lot about a person, and she decided when she heard the mumbling that her charge was a sleep-talker. She peeped over the edge of the box and watched her charge carefully.

Usually, when someone sleep-talks, you get mumbling and maybe a few coherent sentences; whether those sentences make sense is another matter. As Byssi listened, however, she realized that Abella was repeating the same name over and over again. After a few minutes of listening, she caught the name as having a distinctly French tone to it, with a gentle 'g' sound at the beginning. The mumbling cut her off from the rest of the name until the repeating suddenly stopped.

Then, with incredible seriousness, she heard Abella speak clearly. The phrase would stick in her head for months.

"I know her secret."

Byssi was almost certain that this wasn't about Ladybug. Oh, no, this was something much different. She wanted desperately to ask, but she knew that Abella was an honest girl; she would have a good explanation when she was ready to tell her, otherwise she wouldn't keep a secret.

Byssi dropped off to sleep again and hoped this was a rare occurrence.

* * *

When Abella woke up, the first thing she noticed was that her phone was lit up. That was strange... she hadn't given her number to anyone she remembered other than Jean...

In a flash, she had the phone in her hands, and her face fell a little when she saw the name. Of course, she gave her number to Chloe... but why calling at four in the morning? Even she knew most people didn't wake up that early.

The moment she answered the phone, Chloe cried, "BUMBLE! THIS IS A MATTER OF INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE! GET OVER HERE IMMEDIATELY!"

"Already on it," Abella replied, swinging her backpack over her shoulder and pinning up her hair. Byssi flew into her Miraculous residence and she hopped out the window, wings buzzing, as she pushed the end call button.

She had no idea what was happening, but Chloe needed her, and that was what mattered.

* * *

Abella rang the doorbell and stood in front of the camera, hoping that her squirming wasn't very noticeable.

"Hello? Bourgeois residence. Do you have an appointment?" The usually monotone voice asked, this time with a twinge of surprise and annoyance.

"I am Abella Dubois, a friend of Chloe's. She called me this morning over an emergency manner. If she is awake, confirm with her."

The voice went silent for a minute, but then the grand gates opened, and Abella marched in, making sure to act official. Obviously Chloe had allowed her in, and this was how she expected Chloe wanted her to act; like a brat. She snickered lightly to herself and picked up her pace, stopping in the receiving hall where Chloe looked about ready to rip her hair out. And with Chloe, that probably meant that something disastrous had happened.

"Chloe! Snap out of it!" Abella scolded the muttering girl, grabbing her shoulder. Chloe looked up at her in shock, then deflated visibly. Grabbing Abella's hand, she cried, "Come with me this instant! This is the worst day of my life!"

Abella hoped this wasn't a usual occurrence and followed her friend up the stairs, until they finally reached a particularly fancy room where Abella forced Chloe unceremoniously into a couch, sitting across from her moments later.

"Chloe, calm yourself, or you'll ruin your hair." She shrugged. "Not actually, your hair is perpetually perfect, but you get the idea."

The gentle ego-stroking and quiet coaxing get her to stop mumbling incoherently and actually take a few deep breaths. Finally, Chloe did not look like the result of a disaster zone, and she said, "Ladybug."

"What about Ladybug?" Abella prompted.

"I figured out who she is."

There was a silence.

"And?" Abella prompted. "How exactly did this happen at 4AM?"

"I... I couldn't sleep, okay?!" Chloe grumbled. "And to entertain myself, I was... I was pasting pictures of my classmate's faces onto the selfie I took with Ladybug. I didn't think that I'd ever-"

"I get it." Abella nodded. "You found her, and it was the worst possible person."

"YES!" Chloe cried, grabbing Abella's hands. "BUMBLE, LADYBUG IS-"

"Marinette?"

"Yes," Chloe confirmed, tears in her eyes. Then she blinked, and said blankly, "What?"

"I've known for a while. I wondered when you'd figure her out; she isn't exactly very good at hiding her identity."

Chloe seemed utterly flabbergasted. "Say what? You... knew? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!?"

"Of course not," Abella agreed calmly, smiling. "Ladybug would kill me if I'd done that. Y'know... the whole secret-identity thing? Yadda Yadda Hawkmoth out to kill her in a heartbeat? Blah Blah Blah No more heroes to protect Paris?" She sighed. "Chloe, think it through a bit. If she let her identity out, Hawkmoth would be on her in a heartbeat with as many akumas as he could make. She wouldn't even have time to transform before she was swamped by a wave of akumas that would destroy her without mercy."

Chloe stopped in her tracks, visibly stiffening as her thoughts rebooted.

"You're right," She said, barely above a whisper. "But... Marinette!"

"I know, right?" Abella giggled. "Clumsy. The perfect hiding spot for a superhero!" She shrugged. "More seriously, though, now I have to take you to Master Fu to get you checked in."

"Say what?" Chloe whimpered.

"I need to take you to Master Fu so that we can get you checked in." Abella repeated. "There's an actual club for people who know Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities. Master Fu is a former superhero that runs the joint. Just trust me, we need to take you there." She took Chloe's hand and led her away.

"How many people know?" Chloe asked, chasing after Abella as they walked down the stairs.

"Not many," Abella admitted. "Basically me and one other at the moment. I'm watching Nathanael, too, to see if he figures it out." She sighed. "He'll have to notice at some point, he keeps drawing the two of them. Fall out of love with one Marinette only to fall in love with the other, that's always how the story goes..." She stepped outside and hissed, "no more chatting until we get there."

Chloe, for once, nodded seriously. She didn't like this taking-orders business, but at least she could see why.

* * *

Master Fu studied Chloe seriously. With a curt nod, he said, "Welcome, Chloe Bourgeois. Please take a seat."

Chloe looked distastefully at the modest cushions on the floor of Master Fu's massage therapy shop. She was about to say something, but Abella said, "Chloe. Manners."

Chloe sat down.

With a frown, she looked around at all the paintings and scrolls this man had. Was he really a superhero once? Her eyes wandered to a particular one that made her frown in confusion.

That one wasn't the usual parchment; this one was a literal picture of Paris at night, with Ladybug and Chat Noir on it. It seemed to have notes beneath it, and there was a smaller picture next to it of a bee-like hero.

 _Oh yeah. Queen Bee._

She looked to Abella. She longed to ask how Abella found out; was it accidental, like her? Or did she try to find out?

"Pay attention, Chloe," Abella said firmly, making Chloe snap back to the elderly man, who was holding a small black box. He opened it to show a necklace, a little fox-tail necklace that she thought was very sweet, if a bit cheap and childish.

Then it occurred to her that she had instantly obeyed what Abella had said. She hadn't even questioned it; she had simply paid attention when Abella told her to. She shivered and resolved to disobey next time Abella did that.

* * *

The speech was boring, but decidedly important. It explained how the superheroes used their powers, why they had to keep hidden, and the rest was stuff she could have read off the Ladyblog. She curtly confirmed that she would swear to secrecy, eager to meet the other girl who knew about the Miraculous.

"Remember, Chloe," Abella whispered into her ear, "Lila, the other girl, does not know who Ladybug is for her safety. She only knows who Queen Bee is, and she is not to reveal that to you either. You can talk about the Miraculous to each other, but remember not to say anything about Ladybug's identity."

Chloe wanted very much to snap at her and refuse, but _something_ stopped her for long enough that Abella was already opening the door. She shook herself out of her shock and stood up, hoping to make a good first impression.

Those were _always_ important.

"Hello," the girl said, smiling in an infectious way. Chloe resisted the urge to smirk at the cheery girl, instead replying with a curt nod.

"I am Chloe Bourgeois, daughter to the Mayor of Paris," she said curtly.

"And I am Lila," the girl replied, a twinkle in her eyes. Oh, how _jealous_ she was - she wanted her eyes to twinkle, too. She felt like this girl would be another Marinette, which was unfortunate. She'd hoped for a girl who _didn't_ want to make her into a goody-two-shoes.

Lila blinked, then focused. Something about her stare set Chloe's nerves off, so she stared right back. She was surprised that Abella wasn't saying anything; surely she would have noticed the electricity going off between them?

When she let her eyes wander for a moment, she was shocked to find her friend smirking.

A few moments later she was leaped on.

"I know what to do with you!" Lila cried, an eager grin pasted all over her face. "You're Chloe! That girl Abella told me about! And I'm going to teach you some humility whether you like it or not!"

Chloe suddenly felt very, very afraid.

She should have run right then and there, but the Bourgeois never run away, and so she was subject to the new friendship of a lifetime.

That was perhaps the only time in her life that her Bourgeois pride instincts would ever help her.

* * *

The next morning, Chloe was about to walk out of her house when she saw Abella and Lila waiting for her.

After a brief hello between them, Chloe started walking with them almost automatically, and she narrowed her eyes at the two girls.

 _What were they doing? What's all this for?_

 _No one picks me up in the morning except Sabrina, and she's in the next city over with her father talking about relations or whatever._

 _I guess I should ask.  
_

"Right, what's all this about now?" Chloe demanded. "I do _not_ approve of this."

"Oh, soon you will," Lila commented idly. "That attitude will melt away soon, don't work yourself up over it."

"I like myself just the way I am!" Chloe cried, stomping down her foot. "I'm not going a step further until you explain why I should walk down the street with commoners!"

Lila blinked, and for a brief moment Chloe figured her point had stuck home, but a simple glance from Abella made her burst into laughter.

 _Laughter?_

 _LAUGHTER?!_

"I DEMAND YOU STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" Chloe screeched, a few passerby wincing at her high-pitched voice crack. It only made it worse when Abella put a hand over her mouth and a little whistling sound escaped her mouth.

Lila was doubled over on the ground punching the pavement in hysterics.

"Chloe, why _do_ you think we came to walk with you to school?" Abella offered calmly a few minutes of fuming anger later.

"Because you're jerks?" she spat back.

"Because we're your friends, as much as Sabrina is, and that's what friends do." Abella smirked, and Chloe's mind went blank.

There was a sudden rush of time and the tip of her tongue quivered with a word she hadn't dared to believe for a long time.

 _Friend?_

* * *

 _Her prince danced through the yard with a happy smile._

 _Oh, times like this made her ever so happy. She felt like she could dance with him forever, if only she tried hard enough._

 _"Wait for me, Adrien!" Chloe cried, dashing forward. Her dress was lined with lace, but she felt just like a commoner._

 _She liked it that way, because commoners had friends. Her friend was Adrien, and that was how it would stay forever._

 _"C'mon, Chlo, hurry up!" he cried back, a playful smirk on his face. "I'm getting_ Chlo- _strophobic!"_

 _"Adrien!" Oh, that was it! She was going to get him soooo bad._

 _They ran even farther, until at last they reached the other end of the estate._

 _She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Adrien kept running, and she looked up to see two maids chatting. Her attentive ears caught the worried tones instantly, and soon words became audible as well._

 _"Both mothers-"_

 _"-so sad!"_

 _"Poor Children. What will they do?"_

 _"-Don't know."_

 _She felt faint. Somehow she knew._

 _Her mother._

 _Adrien's mother._

 _They were gone forever._

* * *

Chloe snapped out of it, shaking her head. "I don't need friends. All I need is my Adrikins."

Abella tilted her head. "I thought that once."

"You don't know what it's like to lose someone precious, and to always feel like they're just of reach..." Chloe muttered.

"Oh, believe me," Abella hissed. "I know." She paused, and when she looked up again, her blinding smile was back.

"Let's race," she said suddenly. "If those high heels can handle it!"

Lila and Abella were very suddenly gone, and her thoughts wandered to how this reminded her painfully of the joy she once had fluttering in her chest.

She winced and began dashing after them. Her designer heels would probably be ruined, but this was more important. _Friends_ were more important.

 _If you want something, chase it down and never let it go._

Designer heels be damned, she needed these people. Her _friends_ might be lost if she didn't chase them down.

"C'mon, Chlo, hurry up!" Abella cried, making Chloe's pounding heart screech to a stop.

 _Hurry up._

 _You don't have much time left._

* * *

 _His eyes were empty._

 _That was the first thing she noticed. She knew very well that her Adrien was much closer to his mother than she to her parents; he told her of times where she would play piano with him, or rush through the house in a game of chase. She very much wanted that too, but her father and mother were always far too busy to give their daughter some time._

 _Therefore, Adrien was broken, and she realized she had no idea how to fix him._

 _How do you fix a person's heart?_

 _How do you mend a broken soul?_

 _How do you make a mother?_

 _So many questions. No answers._

 _It was that day, holding her broken prince's hand, that she swore upon her favourite doll that she would protect him, so that one day he could recover and come back for her._

 _She knew it._

 _Her prince would come back._

 _She whispered it to herself at night, but the words she remembered now were very suddenly not what she thought they were._

 _"My friend will come back," she hissed fearfully into her teddy's ear, right before dropping off to a fitful and tiring sleep._

* * *

They were at school.

Her heels were destroyed.

She needed a new pair of shoes.

She gave Lila and Abella a death glare as she considered her options. For some reason, her mind glazed over the idea of getting to the nearest store and demanding the most expensive thing they had on her Daddy's card; instead, she muttered over who would lend her a stylish enough pair.

"Say, Chlo," Abella murmured into her ear, "I think Marinette might have a spare pair. She was working on a new set of clothes, if memory serves right."

Chloe was about to retort violently, but then she remembered her promise.

 _Since you're my friend, I'll consider being less antagonistic towards her._

Her heart twisted in the strangest way. There was a swirling inside of her, and she felt like her heart was going in a new direction. Part of her screamed at her, begging her to maintain her duty of protecting Adrien, but there was something so _compelling_ about this new voice... no, not new.

 _My voice._

 _Why is she so disappointed?_

"Fine!" Chloe found herself saying. "I'll ask nicely, but only because you asked."

She stormed into the school, her friends following her in. For some reason, however, she didn't feel like she was in charge, and while it was a new feeling, something in her wanted to accept it very badly.

* * *

Marinette handed her the pair of shoes without a second thought.

"I'm sorry about your heels, Chloe," she said patiently as Chloe put on the slip ons with a little thrill. "They were really pretty. It's unfortunate, but they were bound to snap any second the way they were bending."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't need your pity." Chloe grumbled. "There."

The shoes fit perfectly, and she nodded in satisfaction. They were the most comfortable shoes she'd ever worn, and they were, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it, _very_ stylish.

"You can keep them, if you like them," Marinette offered, smiling at Chloe hopefully. Chloe was about to throw a mean comment at her, but something stopped her, and she contemplated it for a good few moments.

 _She just wants publicity!_ One part of her screamed, but the more she listened to it for real the more irrational it sounded. She'd only listened before because that voice was the loudest.

She listened closely, and a tiny whisper said, _she wants to be your friend. Go for it._

"Thanks," Chloe said positively, snapping herself back to reality. Getting up and posing for a split second, she tapping Marinette idly and walked off to join Lila and AAbelella.

"I see I was right," Abella smiled. Chloe huffed and turned away, refusing to be part of Abella's celebration.

"I did that by my own free will, Bumble," she muttered.

Abella just nodded proudly, and Chloe couldn't help but blush.

 _Who knew being nice felt so good?_

* * *

It was the day after the last akuma attack - some unfortunate gardener who felt that the gardens of Paris were being taken for granted - when Abella found something interesting going on.

Ladybug was sitting on the roof - or at least, Marinette and Tikki were - chatting about something. She shook off the twinge of guilt pretty quick and decided to listen in.

"I know, Tikki! I can't have both..." she grumbled. "But which one?"

"That's not really a viable question," Tikki giggled. "You'll just have to wear those."

Abella sighed in relief. Thank _goodness_ this wasn't about Adrien and Chat Noir, although a little bit of her romantic side wanted that to be the case.

"But then Nathanael will be so sad!" Marinette cried. "But the ones Adrien gave me are super important to, but it's not like wearing his will make a difference as far as how much of a chance I have, but-"

"Hey," Abella called, hearing a near-silent _vwwip_ noise as Tikki hid in Marinette's bag. "What's got you down, _petite abeille_?"

Marinette sighed. "Nathanael and Adrien both gave me earrings as an early birthday present," she explained. "My birthday is tomorrow - well, the actual one. Only close friends will be coming to that one, and Nath wanted to give me something since he couldn't make it, and Adrien didn't know when to bring his so he did so a day early and -"

"You're wondering which to wear?" Abella smiled. "I guess not both?"

"No, I only have one piercing," she explained. "Well, two, but I _have_ to wear these earrings."

"I can get behind that," Abella agreed, sitting down next to her. "Here's an idea; wear Adrien's earring on one ear and one of Nath's on the other. That way, everyone walks away happy."

"Hm... okay then," Marinette agreed. "Yeah, that should work. I might have to adjust my outfit, but this will definitely be worth it. Thanks, Queen Bee."

"No problem, _petite,_ " Abella smiled.

"Oh, actually," Marinette added, "What would you do... and here's a stupid question... if someone you hated suddenly became really nice?"

Abella instantly thought of Chloe.

"Give her a second chance," Abella replied. "She deserves it, even if she hurt you."

Marinette sighed. "I guess that's true."

"You don't have to be friends all of a sudden," Abella continued soothingly. "Just give her the time she needs to prove that she can change."

Marinette nodded, still frowning a little, but that comment seemed to alleviate her worries a bit.

"I hope you feel better, _petite,"_ Abella said honestly. "I have to continue the patrol. I'll be seeing you around, I presume?"

"Yeah," Marinette agreed, working up enough strength for a smile. "See you around."

Abella smiled and flew away, making sure that Marinette went back to patrol as well.

* * *

The three of them were hanging out on a rooftop. Ladybug and Chat Noir were at it again with the pun wars (mostly Adrien making horrible puns and Marinette groaning, but it's all the same), and Abella was left to contemplate the universe.

Or so they thought.

She made a sudden _gasp_ of realization and poked Marinette.

"What?" She inquired, pushing away Chat Noir's wiggly eyebrows with one hand.

"I have a new nickname for you, Ladybug," Abella murmured eagerly.

"This isn't going to end well," Ladybug said firmly.

" _Coccinette."_

Ladybug facepalmed.

"Of _course_ it would be a _pun!_ " she cried in exasperation. Then, stopping, she looked at Abella.

"You know my civilian name."

"She knows mine, too," Chat Noir added sheepishly. "She figured me out."

"Sorry, Ladybug," Abella apologized. "I knew before I even became a superhero. I won't tell a soul, Queen's honour."

"Alright, I believe you," Marinette decided.

"Thank you," Abella replied, smiling back.

* * *

A/N: It's been a long time!

Enjoy this chapter, which is basically a metric ton of Chloe and also a bit of mystery and fluffy added.

Next time on Queen Bee, we'll be visiting a certain someone, and Byssi will have her hands full trying to get Abella out of a funk.

Remember to tell me what you think in the reviews! It means a lot to me!


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